Photo credit: U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council.
The U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council’s Aquacumbre initiative has generated $2 million in sales for U.S. corn coproducts and other feed ingredients through relationships developed with international aquaculture customers.
The Council’s Latin America office, in collaboration with its Mexico office, launched the first Aquacumbre conference in August 2025. The event introduced Latin America’s growing aquaculture industry to the nutritional, economic and sustainability benefits of using U.S. corn coproducts in shrimp, tilapia and salmon diets.
The inaugural conference brought together aquaculture producers, feed manufacturers, nutritionists and U.S. industry representatives. Technical presentations and networking sessions provided participants with information on incorporating U.S. feed ingredients into aquafeed formulations while connecting them with U.S. suppliers.
Building on the initial event, the Council later hosted the International Aquaculture Conference in collaboration with Aquacumbre. The second event expanded participation beyond Latin America to include attendees from Southeast Asia, with speakers participating virtually from Egypt and India.
The conference examined production systems, nutrition strategies and market trends across regions, with discussions focused on the shrimp and tilapia industries. The Council also expanded its technical programming beyond dried distillers grains with solubles and corn fermented protein to include sorghum as an additional feed ingredient.
The event was held in Ecuador, providing international participants with firsthand exposure to one of the world’s leading shrimp industries through farm and processing facility visits. The visits demonstrated how U.S. feed ingredients can support productivity and feed efficiency.
Aquacumbre also has become a platform for buyer-seller engagement. U.S. agribusiness representatives met directly with feed manufacturers and aquaculture companies, strengthening existing relationships and developing new business opportunities.
The Council said the combination of technical education and networking has increased confidence in U.S. corn coproducts and sorghum while creating opportunities for new relationships and sales.
Follow-up efforts with U.S. suppliers and international customers generated $2 million in sales directly resulting from relationships built and strengthened through Aquacumbre.
The Council invested $160,000 in RAPP funds to support the initiative. The resulting $2 million in sales represents a return of $12.50 for every $1 of RAPP funding invested.
Through Aquacumbre, the Council has expanded its role in the international aquaculture sector while creating market opportunities for U.S. corn fermented protein, other corn coproducts and sorghum. The initiative uses Ecuador’s position in the global shrimp industry to support feed innovation, international knowledge exchange and expanded demand for U.S. feed ingredients.
Source: U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council, "Council Launches Aquacumbre, Generating $2 Million in U.S. Corn Coproduct Sales Across Latin America and Beyond"