Project description
An entrepreneur who ran a successful fish farming business wanted to expand and set up a new aquaculture business on a greenfield site. The capital requirement was over € 20 million.
We supported the entrepreneur in developing his business model and worked out a detailed business plan:
First, we analysed the sales side and especially the requirements of the food retail industry.
Together with the entrepreneur, we developed an expanded product range. Unprocessed whole fish were supplemented by supermarket-ready packaged fillets and fish specialities, because these processed products have higher margins.
Other important components of the financial plan were the capital investments, as well as the production costs and the marketing costs, which we researched in detail.
From the wealth of individual information, we developed an integrated financial plan with individual plans for turnover, P&L, investments, financing, balance sheet and cash flow.
With this model, we were able to simulate various scenarios for prices and costs and demonstrate the stability of the business model.
We presented these results in the text part of the business plan; before that we presented the market analysis, the sales measures and the operational processes in production.
To finance the business, we designed the financial structure with limited partnership capital, supplemented by mezzanine capital such as profit participation rights, silent partnerships, debentures and subordinated loans, as well as bank loans for a further stage of expansion.
The company offers investors a capital-intensive but highly profitable investment.
What banks look at in an aquaculture business plan
Aquaculture combines agriculture and technology, so the plan should explain the farming system (for example recirculating or pond systems), the species, the production cycle and the expected yield per cycle. Lenders need to understand how long it takes from stocking to the first sale.
The investment is substantial: ponds or tanks, water treatment, energy, feed, permits and often processing and cold-storage capacity. Operating costs for feed, energy, labour and veterinary care should be calculated per kilogram produced, and mortality and price risks should be tested in scenarios.
Sales channels, such as direct sales, restaurants or wholesalers, and approvals under environmental and food-safety rules complete the picture. A liquidity plan that covers the long period before the first harvest is essential.
