I love the concept of using environmentally responsible products and donating proceeds to ocean conservation. Good luck!

I live in the midwest and I love seafood. But the challenge is finding good AMERICAN seafood here is really a challenge. Most everything is from Africa. And costs a fortune. This sounds like a good idea and you have your plan of attack well written out. Good luck!

Best of luck. We need more people who treasure our environment. JerseyGenie

Great idea! Wishing you much success!

Best of luck to you! Maybe one day I can get an assignment to Florida and eat some of your shrimp. I like shrimp!

GREAT IDEA! Florida wild grown shrimp are becoming a treasure in the seafoods market place. I am a customer of your shrimp, best ever. Fresh, clean, full of flavor and taste like shrimp I thought we lost to foreign and farm markets. Please keep us supplied with your quality product. The sample of "Shrimp Pimp Organic Shrimp Dip" I have tried is awesome what can I say. Best wishes for you continued rapid growing success. No more farm or imported shrimp for me.

good luck!

This is a great idea. Hope you can get it going quickly. I love shrimp and this sounds like a wonderful way to eat it.

Sounds lke a Fantastic Idea! if i ever make it to the US ill come and see you :) Good Luck ****

Wonderful idea. As a retired chef I'm well aware of the huge quality/taste difference between farmed and wild shrimp. I so wish this product was available where I am. Good luck with your venture!

Just as catlady, bear_music, noworries, and the other blob members said in their posts, being a FL fresh shrimp lover makes me feel that yours is an awesome idea for the $10,000 winnings from Advanta. I wish you the BEST of luck, pal. Stay tuned for my upcoming business idea, and consider it for the vote that I'll be giving your "Shrimp Pimp Dip & other Seafood" venture my vote for.

Good luck with the business, Hope I helped.

Good Luck! I love shrimp!

This would be a seller at our local Whole Foods store, I think. Plus I love shrimp, so I'd buy it. :-) Good luck!

How is harvesting wild Florida shrimp different than other shrimp harvesting, which destroys reefs and other ocean habitats?

Great question vwoodruff. This is the type of education my company will need to provide in order to promote our products. I have included some links and quotes to answer such questions. We buy our shrimp from Dixie Crossroads, the owner of which is instrumental in stopping bottom trawling and preserving the Oculina Reef. American shrimp are harvested under strict standards which govern the quality and protect the environment in a way that is impossible with imported shrimp. http://www.dixiecrossroads.org/shrimplore.html "In 1994, recognizing that something had to change before Rock Shrimp became extinct, Rodney Thompson, now the owner of Dixie Crossroads Seafood Restaurant, began a campaign to stop destructive bottom trawling in the nursery grounds within the Oculina coral reefs, as…more well as institute a management plan for Rock Shrimp. Initially he was met with major resistance from captains, boat-owners and owners of fish houses, who denied that anything was wrong, and strongly resisted any efforts the government made to put controls on where they fished or who could join the fishery. Unable to procure enough Rock Shrimp to last all year, Dixie Crossroads began to run out of them every spring. Catch rates continued to crash at an alarming rate, and in 2000, less than three million pounds of Rock Shrimp were offloaded in Florida. Finally realizing that their livelihoods truly were at stake, the people who depend on Rock Shrimp became more supportive. In 2001, a new precedent was set when, under Rodney’s guidance, they sat down together to draw up a management plan, which the South Atlantic Fisheries Council unanimously approved. This was the first time a southern group of fishermen not only agreed that management was necessary---they produced their own blueprint for doing so. No longer can trawlers drag through the nursery grounds in the Oculina Reefs. No additional boats may enter the Rock Shrimp fishery. Only time will tell whether their plan was drawn in time to save the stocks of this unique little hard-shelled delicacy, the "shrimp that tastes like lobster." http://www.citizen.org/cmep/foodsafety/shrimp/index.cfm "...Until recently, shrimp were caught in the open ocean, but today most shrimp are "farmed" in tropical coastal areas where saltwater is available and waste can be flushed into the ocean. Industrialized shrimp aquaculture is causing environmental, economic and social disasters in many nations—particularly in Asia and Latin America. It is devastating the U.S. shrimp industry, and it is creating potential health hazards for the consuming public. The price of shrimp has fallen from approximately $18 a pound to $10 a pound. But when all things are considered, how high is the cost?" http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/fish/shrimp/health-impacts "In coastal shrimp farms – most of which are in tropical areas of the world, such as Ecuador and Thailand - disease can run amuck. The industry’s solution is to dump tons of antibiotics to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses. One widely used antibiotic – chloramphenicol – is banned in shrimp farming in the U.S. but is still used by many countries that export shrimp to the U.S. Chloramphenicol has been linked to human aplastic anemia (a lethal blood disorder), neurological reactions and other health problems. Unfortunately, the Food and Drug Administration – the agency responsible for ensuring food safety in the U.S. – only inspects 1-2% of all seafood that comes across our borders; therefore, consumers may be eating these banned chemicals in their shrimp."

Great idea!! you go girl :)

So if you sell over the Web, are your products able to be distributed without refrigeration? Specialty salsas, dips, and tasty treats have had some of the highest niche success rates on the Web. Let me know if you need any help finding someone to do your logo, site, etc.

Thanks chucklasker! Right now I don't have any ideas for products that don't require refrigeration. But I would consider that if I can come up with recipes for organic, preservative free products that don't require refrigeration. Starting out, I hope to secure a place for my fresh products in the gourmet market niche. I could do shipping, but it may be cost-prohibitive. However, I would like to do merchandising online (T-Shirts etc.) My logo character is very amusing and people love it. I appreciate your offer to design the logo and website. I have promised those two things to designer friends of mine, but if I can get this rolling, I will be looking for T-shirts, brochures etc. down the road. Thanks again:) Roxanne

Excellent Idea and great business model. Good luck!

Love the name "Shrimp Pimp"!!!! Very marketable business name for an endeavor such as this! Good luck to you!

i like it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! good luck!!!!!!!!!!! and hope i helped you