Shrimp processing plant coming to B.R.

A new shrimp processing facility is coming to Baton Rouge, officials announced today, bringing with it a $2.2 million capital investment and the creation of 38 direct jobs. The Baton Rouge Area Chamber and Mayor Kip Holden made the announcement this morning, saying Baton Rouge Shrimp Company will be located on Neosho Avenue in a 50,000-square-foot warehouse. The company will purchase fresh, wild-caught shrimp at ports along the Gulf of Mexico, then process and distribute the product nationally and internationally. It will start with head-on and headless shrimp, but has plans to add peeled meat to the product line. Owner Tommy Lusco has been associated with processing and marketing seafood on the wholesale and retail levels for over 25 years. He started Louisiana Seafood Exchange in 1988 and grew the company to $16 million in annual sales by 2000. He sold the company a year later to his management team and retired. BRAC, in conjunction with Louisiana Economic Development, worked to help Baton Rouge Shrimp Company obtain permitting and resolve sewer issues, as well as obtain state and Enterprise Zone incentives. The United States recently increased the taxes on foreign shrimp coming into the country for another five years, which will allow domestic shrimp to be sold more profitably.