DELFT, NETHERLANDS — On July 2, Johan Brouwer joined Veramaris as director of international business development. Brouwer will be tasked with expanding the European retail and food services seafood markets leveraged to produce Veramaris’s Omega-3 algae oil ingredient.

“Aquaculture needs to scale up to meet the world’s increasing demand for seafood but it can only do so sustainably,” said Karim Kurmaly, chief executive officer of Veramaris. “This is where Veramaris comes in; our algae oil, naturally rich in both EPA & DHA Omega-3 helps to reduce the industry’s reliance on wild catch fish, and we also have the capability to produce, at scale, a natural and sustainable alternative to fish oil. Our success depends on our people and I am thrilled to welcome Johan to our talented team. His proven track record in the industry will be a huge asset as we continue on our mission to expand the world’s supply of certified sustainable EPA & DHA Omega-3.”

Brouwer previously worked with Seafood Connection as an operations leader.

“I am really excited to be joining Veramaris at such a pivotal time for the aquaculture industry, when there is real potential to make a difference to the environmental issues that need to be addressed,” Brouwer said. “Veramaris’ sustainability value proposition, including its recent joint certification from ASC-MSC, gives retailers and the food service sector a viable solution for their seafood sustainability challenges and I am looking forward to working with our partners to help them achieve their sustainable seafood goals.”

Victoria Parr, business development director of Veramaris North America.Victoria Parr, business development director of North America at Veramaris. 
Earlier this year, Veramaris appointed Victoria Parr as business development director of North America. Previously a seafood marketing executive, Parr now works to expand the company’s outreach in the United States market.

Parr brings prior experience from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) and AquaChile’s Verlasso brand. In her new role with Veramaris, she will work with seafood wholesalers, retailers and members of the foodservice industry to identify scalable opportunities to supply Omega-3 ingredients for the aquaculture market.

“Success in this new role means supporting aquaculture as it continues to scale-up, sustainably,” Parr commented. “When customers choose our natural, marine algae oil — grown in our Nebraska USA, zero-waste facility — they are relieving pressure on the ocean’s vulnerable forage fish populations while increasing their product quality and nutritional value, improving animal welfare, human health, and the health of the planet. It’s a dream job.”

Veramaris is a joint venture of DSM and Evonik first launched in July 2019. In October 2020, the venture’s first animal food ingredient, a natural fish oil-alternative algae ingredient, achieved Generally Recognized As Safe (“GRAS”) status from the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). This means the ingredient can now be used in pet food formulations in the United States.

Read more about personnel changes throughout the industry.