Blue Ridge Aquaculture

Founded in 1993, Blue Ridge Aquaculture emerged from the remnants of Blue Ridge Fisheries, which had previously struggled with catfish production. After redesigning equipment and processes, the company began producing tilapia and implemented a strict bio-secure program to operate disease-free. By 2002, it had become a fully integrated system, producing two million pounds of tilapia annually. Over the next five years, production doubled, and in 2017, an on-site aquafeed mill was added, followed by a new hatchery and nursery facility in 2020.

Blue Ridge Aquaculture utilizes indoor Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) to control the environment, maximizing water re-use through solids removal, bio-filtration, gas balancing, oxygenation, and disinfection. This method eliminates the need for large water sources and minimizes environmental impact by capturing effluent with no discharge. The farm maintains high growth rates, high production densities, low Feed Conversion Ratios, and very low mortalities, all while ensuring ideal living conditions to reduce stress on the fish.

Blue Ridge Aquaculture operates out of a 100,000 square foot facility in Martinsville, Virginia, employing approximately thirty-five people. The company ships between 10,000 and 20,000 pounds of live tilapia daily to major metropolitan markets in the Northeast, primarily serving Asian and Hispanic-American consumers. The company also focuses on its triple bottom line, offering strong wages, benefits, and health insurance to its workforce, while generating attractive economic returns.