Cermaq Chile recently launched its ultra-premium Aimon brand of salmon products at the Japan House cultural center in the Brazilian metropolis of Sao Paolo.
The name of the brand and the venue where the launch took place are both a nod to Japanese culture. Cermaq’s parent company is Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi, and the new brand name is a combination of two Japanese words: “ai,” meaning indigo – a color Japanese warriors preferred to wear beneath their armor and which is also the color of the salmon back – and “mon,” translating to portal or gateway to Japan.
Brazil, one of Cermaq Chile’s main markets and the primary initial target for its Aimon brand, is home to more than 1.8 million Japanese descendants. The Japanese introduced organized farming to the Amazon region, starting the commercial cultivation of pepper and popularizing martial arts, thereby helping to create Brazilian jiu jitsu, among other influences.
“Salmon is present on Brazilians’ tables … and much of it is consumed in Japanese restaurants, so being able to offer a sustainable, healthy, ultra-premium product is a source of pride for us,” Cermaq Chile Marketing and Value-Added Manager Matías Cirano said. “Launching this product in Sao Paulo, where sushi chefs need quality salmon for their preparations, is an excellent starting point. Our idea is to be able to reach many more markets with Aimon.”
Aimon is the result of a three-year effort focused on technology, research, animal welfare, quality, handling, and stress-free processes that has led to a fresh product underscored by its texture, freshness, brightness, color, and flavor, Cermaq Chile said in a release.
Earlier this year, Cermaq announced construction on the second stage of its Chacao Canal Fish Farm (PCC) at a cost of some USD 100 million (EUR 93.5 million). The recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility’s operational launch is projected for the first half of 2026 and will have a production capacity of 14 million smolts a year, which would make it the company’s largest.
Oslo, Norway-based Cermaq posted a profit of JPY 800 million (USD 5.5 million, EUR 5 million) in the three months ending 30 June 2024, compared to a loss of JPY 3 billion (USD 20.8 million, EUR 19 million) in the same fiscal quarter one year ago. Cermaq Chile hauled in the largest sales by region for the company, achieving a sales volume of 20,447 metric tons (MT) gutted-weight equivalent (GWE). Cermaq Norway had sales of 12,547 MT GWE, while Cermaq Canada had 5,135 MT GWE in sales.
