Chicoa Fish Farm
Chicoa Fish Farm is a Mozambique-based, vertically integrated tilapia aquaculture company operating on Lake Cahora Bassa, producing fresh, frozen, and fillet tilapia for domestic and Sub-Saharan African export markets while supplying fingerlings and training to smallholder farmers as the anchor farm in the regional industry.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersTete, Mozambique
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Chicoa Fish Farm firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Chicoa Fish Farm
- Legal name
- Chicoa Fish Farm
- Website
- https://chicoa.fish
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Chicoa Fish Farm is a Mozambique-based, vertically integrated tilapia aquaculture company operating on Lake Cahora Bassa, producing fresh, frozen, and fillet tilapia for domestic and Sub-Saharan African export markets while supplying fingerlings and training to smallholder farmers as the anchor farm in the regional industry.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Chicoa Fish Farm industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Freshwater Aquaculture
- NAICS
- Finfish Farming and Fish Hatcheries (112511)
- SIC
- Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) & Land-Based Farming (AFAEAAAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Tilapia & Warmwater Fish Hatcheries (e.g., Catfish, Carp) (AFAEAKAE)
Keywords
Where Chicoa Fish Farm is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tete
- HQ country
- Mozambique
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
Chicoa Fish Farm business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Tilapia Fish Sales: Chicoa generates revenue from selling farmed tilapia fish in various forms: whole fish on ice (freshest lake-to-plate), gutted and frozen fish (preferred for retail and export), premium fillets (for hotels and catering), and fish by-products (heads, bellies, frames — low-cost protein). Products are sold domestically in Mozambique and to export markets. An on-site processing facility enables processing and freezing for extended shelf life and broader distribution.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels1 record
Chicoa Fish Farm product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Chicoa Fish Farm is a vertically integrated tilapia aquaculture business operating on Lake Cahora Bassa in Mozambique. It produces and sells farmed tilapia in four core product forms — whole fish on ice, gutted and frozen fish, premium fillets, and fish by-products — for domestic and export markets. As an anchor farm, it also supplies high-quality fingerlings, feed, and husbandry training to smallholder farmers to catalyze Mozambique's broader aquaculture industry.
Product overview
Chicoa Fish Farm is an innovative aquaculture business producing top quality farmed tilapia on Lake Cahora Bassa in Mozambique. The company operates as a vertically integrated fish farm offering four core tilapia fish products: Whole Fish On Ice (freshest lake-to-plate product), Gutted and Frozen Fish (for retail and export), Premium Fillets (for hotels and catering), and Fish By-Products (low-cost nutritional protein). As an anchor farm, Chicoa supports the smallholder aquaculture industry by providing high quality fingerlings and impact training programs in partnership with IDH and government ministries. The company is expanding into on-site processing facilities and feed mill construction for upstream/downstream integration.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Whole Fish On Ice Fresh tilapia placed on ice immediately after harvesting and transported straight to market for sale. Targeted at local Mozambican markets as the freshest lake-to-plate product.
- Gutted and Frozen Fish Processed tilapia with extended shelf life, preferred for retail and industry customers and favored in export markets. Enabled by Chicoa's on-site processing and freezing facility.
- Premium Fillets Frozen tilapia fillets targeted at hotels and catering businesses, including large catering kitchens servicing the extraction industry in Mozambique.
- Fish By-Products By-products from the tilapia filleting process, including heads, bellies, and frames, sold as a highly nutritious low-cost protein across Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Fingerlings Supply High quality tilapia fingerlings supplied to smallholder farmers in Mozambique as part of Chicoa's anchor farm model to enable local fish farming and grow the broader aquaculture industry.
Quantifiable outcome
- 144 permanent staff employed and 295 smallholder candidate farmers trained as of the stated year on the website.
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Chicoa Fish Farm
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Chicoa Fish Farm technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Chicoa Fish Farm partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Mozambican Government / Department of FisheriescoreThe Mozambican government, in partnership with the African Development Bank and Chicoa's advocacy, completed the rezoning of Lake Cahora Bassa in 2020, with dedicated zones allocated for artisanal aquaculture. Training programs are delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Fisheries. Chicoa collaborates with government on industry development and regulatory frameworks.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Chicoa Fish Farm competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lake Harvest: Zimbabwe-based tilapia aquaculture pioneer co-founded by Chicoa COO Damien Legros and where CEO Gerry McCollum worked for 15 years. Operates across Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Uganda. Same species (tilapia), same region (Southern/East Africa), and direct founder pedigree link.
- Yalelo: Zambia-based tilapia aquaculture company operating on Lake Kariba, producing fresh and frozen tilapia for Zambian and regional markets. Most geographically and operationally comparable peer — same species, neighbouring country, shared Southern African distribution corridors.
- Victory Farms: Kenya-based tilapia aquaculture company operating on Lake Victoria, with one of the largest tilapia operations in East Africa. Comparable scalable African tilapia model targeting regional protein deficit and serving as a benchmark for vertically integrated aquaculture in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Tropo Farms: Ghana-based tilapia aquaculture operator established in 2012, serving West African markets. Directly comparable in species (tilapia), business model (cage aquaculture), and market focus on addressing protein deficits in Africa.
Emerging players
- Aquarech: Kenya-based aquaculture company focused on smallholder fish farmer enablement, also backed by Aqua-Spark. Overlaps with Chicoa's anchor-farm/smallholder model in a different geography, providing useful comparison on the smallholder-inclusion approach to African aquaculture.
Broad incumbents
- Regal Springs: One of the world's largest tilapia producers, operating in Mexico, Honduras, and Indonesia. Provides comparison on large-scale, vertically integrated tilapia farming, processing, and export distribution at a more mature scale than Chicoa.
- Skretting (Nutreco):
- Aller Aqua: Danish-founded global aquafeed producer supplying feed to tilapia and other aquaculture producers. Directly comparable as a potential feed supplier or competitor to Chicoa's planned feed mill in Mozambique.
Others
- Til-Aqua International: Netherlands-based tilapia genetics and breeding company supplying YY male tilapia and improved genetic lines globally. Relevant as a supplier-side peer — Chicoa's genetically optimised tilapia could originate from or be benchmarked against Til-Aqua's lines.
- WorldFish: International aquaculture and fisheries research organisation with major African programmes focused on tilapia genetics and smallholder aquaculture development. Relevant ecosystem peer — partners with development finance institutions and African governments on aquaculture expansion overlapping with Chicoa's territory and smallholder mission.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Chicoa Fish Farm social profiles
Digital presenceChicoa Fish Farm compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Chicoa Fish Farm financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Chicoa Fish Farm leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Chicoa Fish Farm funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Chicoa Fish Farm M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Chicoa Fish Farm
What does Chicoa Fish Farm do?
Chicoa Fish Farm is a vertically integrated tilapia aquaculture business operating on Lake Cahora Bassa in Mozambique. It produces and sells farmed tilapia in four core product forms — whole fish on ice, gutted and frozen fish, premium fillets, and fish by-products — for domestic and export markets. As an anchor farm, it also supplies high-quality fingerlings, feed, and husbandry training to smallholder farmers to catalyze Mozambique's broader aquaculture industry.
Is Chicoa Fish Farm a public or private company?
Chicoa Fish Farm is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Chicoa Fish Farm founded?
Chicoa Fish Farm was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Chicoa Fish Farm based?
Chicoa Fish Farm is headquartered in Tete, Mozambique, in the Africa region.
How does Chicoa Fish Farm make money?
One revenue line is on record: tilapia Fish Sales.
Who are Chicoa Fish Farm's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lake Harvest, Yalelo, Victory Farms and Tropo Farms. Aquarech is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Regal Springs, Skretting (Nutreco) and Aller Aqua. Others are Til-Aqua International and WorldFish.
Does Chicoa Fish Farm have an API?
No public API is recorded for Chicoa Fish Farm.
What industry is Chicoa Fish Farm in?
Chicoa Fish Farm's product category is Freshwater Aquaculture. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAEAAAG, Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) & Land-Based Farming, with a secondary code of AFAEAKAE, Tilapia & Warmwater Fish Hatcheries (e.g., Catfish, Carp). Its NAICS code is 112511 and its SIC code is 200.