A company which produces seafood from fish cells is targeting large-scale production after revealing its commercialisation strategy and food facility design schematics.

San Diego’s BlueNalu has created a five-phase commercialisation strategy that starts with R&D and small-scale pilot testing, evolves to a phase that enables market research testing, and culminates in food facilities that are 150,000 sq ft under roof.

It is anticipated that each facility will produce up to 18-million pounds of finished seafood products per year, or about 72 million four-oz seafood fillets or equivalent units per year.

BlueNalu is currently entering its first phase of development, producing whole seafood medallions and fillets at pilot-scale.

The company plans to introduce products into a test market in two to three years, and break ground on its first large-scale production facility in five years.

“We have developed an optimal strategy for scaling up production of cell-based seafood from a variety of finfish, crustaceans and mollusks to meet global demand,” said Lou Cooperhouse, President & CEO of BlueNalu.

He added: “As can be seen from our schematics, each production facility will look like a hybrid between a microbrewery and a conventional food production facility.

“BlueNalu’s food facilities will produce an array of raw and cooked, fresh and frozen seafood products that are prepared in a trusted and familiar way.”

The facilities will each be designed to serve regional population centres, initially focused on serving countries in North America, Asia and Europe, wher there is the greatest current and projected per capita consumption of seafood.

The company intends to replicate its initial facility to dozens of locations across the globe, making continual operational enhancements along the way, and selecting varieties of fish, product applications, and marketing channels to meet the needs of each selected region.

According to BlueNalu, the company’s strategy will contribute to a more “stable global supply chain for seafood, in a way that supports the health, sustainability and biodiversity of our ocean”.