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Have you ever tried krill? "Krill are small crustaceans 10 – 65 mm in length .Rich in a multitude of vitamins, minerals, astaxanthin and omega 3s, krill is one of the healthiest foods on the planet. To add to its health benefits, krill is known to have the highest source of protein with a digestibility rate of 96% – 97%. This is 21% higher than the digestible protein in other meat sources, making krill the superior protein source." If you consider yourself health-conscious, krill is a must-try! Krill Arctic Foods makes this delicious superfood accessible to consumers throughout the United States.
Q. What is your passion? Tell us about it.
A. To make this amazing new protein available to consumers throughout the USA. Krill meat can improve the lives of so many by simply consuming real food.
Q. What inspired you to pursue this passion? Tell us the story.
A. I began this venture in October 2019 with my Ukrainian suppliers and a group of US investors as a consultant Fast forward to April 2020 and Covid19 shuts the entire world down. Yuri and I stayed in touch periodically then in March 2021 the project was back on. In September the factory was ready to go into production. Around Thanksgiving of 2021 Yuri called and said Russia was making threats to attack if Ukraine did not adhere to their demands. Then the US investors pulled out for fear of a full blown war. Deep down I felt helpless not knowing what to say or do to make things right. After a few weeks of restless nights I decided to take over the investors position without any real plan on how to do it other than a deep connection to the product. The only problem was I did not have enough money to do this on my own. All along I did not consult my family members because I know if I did they would try to convince me not to go forward and who could blame them. Here I was taking on an entirely new product that nobody in the US has ever heard of from a very volatile supply chain. In Nov 2022 our co-packer in Latvia required a 50,000 advance followed by another 50,000 advance 30 days later. When the shipment was ready the 150 K balance was due. I realized my business account did not have the funds to cover it. Then without consulting my wife I decided to cash out 1 of our retirement accounts to cover the balance due and help me get through some of the operating costs when the product arrived. We officially launched in the end of March 2023, in less than 5 short months, we have participated in 2 of the nation's largest specialty food shows, are in talks with Costco- Sam's Club and Wal-Mart and penetrated 45 stores already in US and Canada without any assistance from the larger distributors that control the space and are sales are already $45K with projections to reach $200K by the end of the year and we are just getting started.
Q. What makes your creations unique?
A. Allow me to introduce you to America's Newest Superfood, Antarctic Krill meat brought to you by our company Krill Arctic Foods. This nutrient dense protein we like to call "The Incredible Edible Krill" has never been available in North America until now.
Q. Tell us about your creative process.
A. Bizarre, eccentric, spontaneous--if I have an idea I will not sleep until I can see it in my head or on paper.
Q. Who is your audience? How do you engage them?
A. Consumers who are health conscious. It is Keto and Paleo friendly, great for the tinned fish community and is a superfood that can replace the need for krill oil supplements. We are working on a digital marketing program to increase consumer awareness.
Q. Where can your creations be found?
A. Our website (www.krillarcticfoods.com), specialty [retail] grocers, Amazon
Q. What is next?
A. Frozen at sea Krill meat for wholesale distribution and food manufacturing. Krill is very versatile, it can be used in flat breads, dumplings, pasta, ravioli, stir fry, salads, sushi, and [any way] you would crabmeat.
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