Blue Earth Capital partners with Captain Fresh to drive sustainability across global seafood value chains

~ Blue Earth Capital (“BlueEarth”), the specialist global impact investor, announces a EUR 27.0 million sustainability-linked financing to Infifresh Foods Private Limited (“Captain Fresh”), a global packaged seafood company. ~

Globally, around 15% of seafood is lost or wasted, driven by largely inefficient processing and discards from wild-capture harvesting. This challenge is particularly acute in emerging markets and will be increasingly relevant with the continued rise in seafood consumption. Aquaculture and wild-capture fisheries play a critical role in economic growth and job creation, with 400 to 600 million livelihoods being dependent on the sector, particularly in emerging markets.

The $600 billion global seafood distribution industry has traditionally remained plagued with a lack of standardisation and operational complexities arising from sub-scale single-species-focused distributed capacities operating under traditional management practices, each with constrained access to sources, markets and capital. Founded in 2020 by Utham Gowda, Captain Fresh’s strategy is anchored in building scaled, multi-species seafood brands with value-chain integration, underpinned by digital traceability that turns sustainability from narrative into verifiable proof. The company’s technology platform (“Captain Fresh Digital Operating System”) and vertical integration aim to reduce seafood waste and improve efficiency, enhancing margins across the value chain players, while driving transparency and sustainability from source to shelf in the highly complex and fragmented seafood value chain.

Sustainable aquaculture and responsible wild-capture fisheries represent an important solution to rising global protein demand, contributing to food security, improved nutrition, and greater resilience in global food systems. As a powerhouse of packaged seafood brands operating across key consumption markets in the U.S., Europe, and the U.A.E., Captain Fresh is poised to accelerate the scalability of seafood as a more resource-efficient protein source with a lower carbon footprint.

The company’s scaling is expected to drive meaningful job creation through the expansion of its own manufacturing as well as indirect employment across partner processors, while integrating smallholder fishermen into global supply chains and improving their income stability through innovative technology solutions and market access.

BlueEarth’s capital infusion will support the expansion of Captain Fresh’s distribution capabilities globally. The sustainability and impact-linked characteristics of the facility work to ensure full alignment with BlueEarth’s dual mission of generating compelling social and environmental impact alongside financial returns.

Amy Wang, Head of Private Credit at BlueEarth, comments: "The investment in Captain Fresh reflects our continued commitment to the sustainable food and agriculture sector. Through our partnership, we look forward to promoting sustainably sourced seafood, reducing waste across the value chain, and driving job creation while meeting growing global demand for traceable seafood."

"We’ve always viewed doing things right as a core value multiplier, not an ESG checklist. By bringing true source-to-shelf traceability to the seafood industry, we are transforming a historically wasteful supply chain into one that actively protects our waters and uplifts communities whose lives depend on it,” said Utham Gowda, CMD & Group CEO, Captain Fresh. “BlueEarth's financing is a strong endorsement of our business model. It introduces a European pool of sustainability-linked impact capital into play. This partnership also gives us access to their wider network, allowing us to accelerate our operations and impact simultaneously."

Setuka Partners served as the exclusive advisor to Captain Fresh for this transaction.