Kumbatia Seafood Ltd

For remote communities in coastal Kenya, small-scale fishers are often equipped with the training methods required to harvest seafood in a non-destructive manner. In reality, however, few actually practice such techniques. Kumbatia believes that, with proper training and infrastructure, small-scale fishers in East Africa possess a competitive advantage in being able to produce sustainably sourced sushi-grade seafood given the deindustrialized one-by-one nature of their fishing practices. By developing a technology-enabled off-grid cold chain, implementing traceability systems, providing access to finance for inputs and gear, and training harvesters on Japanese-inspired post-harvest handling methods that create seafood of exceptional quality, Kumbatia wants to ensure that this potential is met.

For most communities on the Swahili Coast, seafood buying prices are low, market access is minimal, and destructive fishing practices are the norm despite widespread willingness to harvest more responsibly. This has created an environment where going sustainable often comes with a difficult trade-off, namely unchanged or even diminished income that leaves most artisanal fishers continuing to live in poverty. Kumbatia Seafood improves coastal livelihoods and incentivizes sustainable harvest practices by guaranteeing its network of fishers a premium-priced ready market for seafood that has been responsibly sourced. By training harvesters on Japanese-inspired handling methods, financing inputs, and implementing a technology-enabled off-grid cold chain, Kumbatia is additionally able to ensure that its offerings are not only sustainable, but also traceable and of sushi-grade quality. Selling a luxury product enables access to more premium markets which in turn allows Kumbatia to remain a profitable enterprise while still paying its stakeholders a premium above market rate at all times. More info: https://www.kumbatiaseafood.com/