Bell Aquaculture Completes Headquarters and Processing Facilities in Redkey, IN

Bell Aquaculture, owner and operator of the nation’s largest yellow perch (Perca flavescens) farm, has completed build out of its corporate headquarters and processing facilities in Redkey, Indiana. Darien (Illinois)-based Wight & Company, began work on the 28,000-square-foot Redkey construction project in July, four months after Bell Aquaculture announced its launch in March.

The announcement is made by Michael Miller, Bell Aquaculture President & COO, who says construction was completed on schedule in Redkey; the complex is about five miles from the fish farm production facilities in Albany.

Bell Aquaculture is vertically integrated from "farm to fork"
“Our new Redkey complex is a fully functioning processing center for the Bell Perch(TM) received from the Albany facility. The newly harvested fish will be processed and packaged as breaded and unbreaded fillets, being ready for shipment within 48 hours of harvest,” explains Miller. “It’s unique that we process our own harvested fish, thereby maintaining vertical integration and control over every step of the process from ‘farm to fork.’”

The Redkey headquarters will house sales & marketing, human resources, accounting and management. The complex will house approximately 120 employees at full capacity. Initial production will average 5,000 pounds per month, ramping up to 30,600 pounds per month by August 2009.

Production to reach 8.5 million pounds of fillets per year by 2015
Last week, Bell Aquaculture announced launch of a $15 million equity raise, retaining SDR Ventures, Inc., a Denver-based investment bank to spearhead the campaign. The equity raise is the first step in scaling the yellow perch farm from a current annual production level of 180,000 pounds of fillets per year to 8.5 million pounds of fillets per year by 2015.

And, last month, the Purdue University Department of Agricultural Communication announced that fish would be returning to the February 7 Alumni Fish Fry after a 10-year absence. The Indiana Soybean Alliance is sponsoring the reintroduction of fish to the Ag Alumni Fish Fry, specifically Indiana-raised Bell Perch(TM) yellow perch from Bell Aquaculture.

Thoughts from Michael Miller, President & COO
"The greatest difficulty for restaurants has been the availability of yellow perch out of Lake Michigan and Lake Erie – the two predominant lakes for the supply of wild-caught yellow perch," explains Miller during an interview on WTRC NewsRadio 1340/Elkhart last year. "Which means the restaurants that were typically serving customers who enjoy the taste of yellow perch, just cannot get the supply."

Further, Miller said: “The yellow perch that we're raising, the Bell Perch (TM), is a higher quality product from the standpoint that there is no real possibility of contaminants entering into their food chain during their growth. We have absolute control over our water supply, since they are raised in-house there is no opportunity for bird predation, pesticides or herbicides to get into the flesh of the fish that you and I might sit down to eat.”

October Issue: A Real Fish Tale Profiling Michael Miller and Bell Aquaculture
Quoting Food Engineering magazine, "The day when all fish for human consumption makes its way to a plate through a fish farm may arrive sooner rather than later. The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates 43% of world fishery production now comes from aquaculture, the fastest growing animal food-production sector.

As a business executive with Turner Broadcasting System Inc., Michael Miller saw it coming. Miller’s responsibilities included overseeing some programming, and when some show producers previewed a 1994 segment on aquaculture for him, Miller was hooked. He began accumulating information on the science and business of aquaculture. Yellow perch, a pan-fish staple of Friday night fish fries throughout the Great Lakes region, became his species of choice."

More About Yellow Perch From Bell Aquaculture
Further, Miller said: “The yellow perch that we’re raising, the Bell Perch(TM), is a higher quality product from the standpoint that there is no real possibility of contaminants entering into their food chain during their growth. We have absolute control over our water supply, since they are raised in-house there is no opportunity for bird predation, pesticides or herbicides to get into the flesh of the fish that you and I might sit down to eat.”

Yellow perch is one of the most popular of all North American pan fish. It has a mild, sweet flavor with firm white flesh and low fat levels, making it a favorite in residential and commercial kitchens alike. In years past, yellow perch was the fish typically served at Friday night fish fries in the Great Lakes region.

Bell Aquaculture is committed to these four guiding principles in producing its fish:

1) Controlled environment
2) No toxins
3) Healthy growth
4) Gentle to the environment

About Bell Aquaculture - Largest Yellow Perch Farm in U.S.
Bell Aquaculture is a producer and processor of farm-raised fish for restaurant and consumer use. Production facilities, dedicated to yellow perch (Perca flavescens), are located in Albany, Indiana (photo enhanced rendering seen above). A headquarters building and processing facilities have just been completed in Redkey, IN.

Due to overfishing and environmental conditions, the supply of wild-caught yellow perch has dwindled over the last several years. It is Bell Aquaculture’s mission to provide a consistent uninterrupted, year-round supply of yellow perch, with its great taste reputation. Bell Aquaculture's yellow perch (Bell Perch) is monitored for health and quality from cradle to harvest in a controlled, indoor environment. In addition, the farm is gentle to the environment. The re-circulating water systems use a minimal amount of water, and the waste from the tanks is recycled into plant fertilizer.