- Cadoma positions China as hub for manufacturing and R&D as it prepares global expansion.
- The company aims to adapt its AI-powered feeding platform for more species.
- Cadoma using performance-based commercial model to encourage adoption.
The eight-year-old company has developed an autonomous feeding system that combines hardware, software, cameras, sensors and artificial intelligence to monitor fish behaviour and adjust feeding accordingly.
The company currently operates primarily in Brazil’s tilapia sector, but Pereira said the underlying technology is not restricted to a single species.
Cadoma’s technology is already being used by customers that together represent around 5% of Brazil’s aquaculture production.
According to the company, more than 20 million kilograms of fish have been produced using the platform, generating a large dataset that is used to train its AI models.
With commercial validation achieved, the company believes now is the right time to expand overseas, and it sees China, the world’s largest fish-farming country, as the ideal place to do so.
Not only will manufacturing in China help reduce costs, but conducting R&D there will also allow Cadoma to expand into more species, including crabs, shrimp and even salmon.
“China is not only the biggest market for fish farming, but it’s also a constantly changing environment. It is home to some of the greatest minds in agricultural machinery. That’s what we want to take advantage of. We’re here looking to collaborate with local universities on R&D and manufacturing,” said founder and chief executive André Augusto De Melo Pereira.
Expansion plans
To prepare for its expansion, the company is working to broaden the application of its technology.
While its existing platform is designed for fish fed with floating feed and uses cameras positioned above the water, the company is developing new algorithms for species that rely on sinking feed.
This includes exploring underwater cameras and hydrophones to monitor feeding activity.
Speaking to AgNavigator, Pereira described China as the perfect launchpad for the company’s broader global ambitions.
“From here, we want to become more adaptable to the global market and, through our Chinese company, expand into other countries, including those in the Middle East, as well as Norway and Chile for the salmon market.”
Pereira also cited Southeast Asia as another region of interest given its sizeable aquaculture industry.
The company was exhibiting at the World AgriFood Innovation (WAFI) Conference in Pinggu, Beijing, from 17 to 19 September.
Cadoma has already signed contracts in China and is pursuing a performance-based commercial model to encourage adoption.
Rather than charging a subscription fee, as it does in Brazil, the company is initially relying on a success-fee structure in China to lower the risk for customers trying the technology, Pereira said.
The approach reflects one of the key challenges facing the company: convincing producers to adopt unfamiliar technologies.
Pereira remains bullish on the long-term outlook for aquaculture, noting that the world is increasingly turning to fish farming as an important source of protein.
“I think a lot of countries already realise that and have placed aquaculture at the centre of their development strategies. I’m very positive about what is coming for aquaculture.”
