"I feel like the salmon returning to its origin"
The new general manager of Benchmark Genetics Chile, Juan Pablo Ramírez, has developed a fruitful career in various areas of the salmon production chain, and will now focus on eggs and genetics.
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In early July, Benchmark Genetics Chile announced that Juan Pablo Ramírez Torrealba would take over as the new general manager of the company.
Juan Pablo is an Industrial Engineer from the Catholic University of Chile, with a specialization in electricity, specifically in the area of electric markets, generation, and transmission. In an interview with Salmonexpert, a partner media of LandbasedAQ, the professional commented that he considered the work in the electrical area to be very office-based, which is why he decided to venture into other areas that would allow him to mix his profession with his passion for nature.
“I am a fan of fly fishing and I found in the aquaculture industry the perfect place where I could practice my hobby surrounded by nature and enjoy Patagonia. This is how I joined Salmones Friosur in 2011 as a commercial assistant, to later serve as the head of the processing plant in Puerto Chacabuco, between 2012 and 2013.”
In mid-2013, Juan Pablo received an attractive offer from Salmones Camanchaca to take over the Sub-Management of Planning in Tomé, Biobío Region, where he was in charge of planning from the primary process of the plant to commercial planning. In 2015, he assumed the Sub-Management of North America Sales and Planning of Salmones Camanchaca in Tomé, where he remained until 2017. Later, in mid that same year, he took over the Regional Management in Chiloé of the Mussels Division of Camanchaca (Camanchaca Cultivos Sur).
"At the beginning of 2019, along with my family, we decided to settle in the Puerto Montt area. I joined the company Río Dulce as a Shipping Manager, where I was in charge of the operation of two wellboats and took over the continuation of a construction project that the company had started some time before at the Asmar shipyards in Talcahuano, which is currently WB Río Dulce IV," detailed the professional.
After that, in 2020, Juan Pablo took over the management of Sea Water Production and Operations at Yadran Cultivos, which involved the production and operations to produce approximately 27 thousand tons of raw material. In the same company, and by mid-2021, he assumed the Management of Farming, a position he held until the end of last April, overseeing the freshwater and seawater areas.
With all this background, on July 8th, Juan Pablo took over as general manager of Benchmark Genetics Chile.
"I was fortunate to have been in great companies that gave me the opportunity to grow and develop throughout the value chain of this great industry. All this experience and knowledge acquired led me to accept and take the next step to take on this challenge. I feel like the 'salmon returning to its origin', as it has been since my beginnings. I started with commercial issues, then process plant, planning, harvest, sea water and fresh water and now genetics and egg production. Therefore, I found this opportunity, besides being challenging and entertaining, an excellent complement to achieve a global vision of the salmon production chain in Chile."
What aspects of the company and its operations in Chile did you see that matched your professional development to take on this challenge?
Working in a leading company in genetics production, being part of a company with operations around the world, and at the same time, integrating a global team with extensive capabilities, was something that triggered and motivated me even more to be part of Benchmark Genetics.
The industry today needs professionals with a global business perspective. It's not about being a specialist in all areas, but it is vital to know how, in one way or another, any change in the chain can affect upstream or downstream. In this sense, and with the experience I have acquired throughout the value chain, from freshwater to commercial, I can contribute not only to Benchmark Genetics but also to the Chilean salmon industry by promoting an egg production that meets the challenges of the activity, both in freshwater and seawater, with a comprehensive approach focused on biosecurity, sustainability, and sustainability.
How do you project the development of the company in our country and its role in the genetics market for Chilean salmon farming?
Benchmark Genetics Chile started in 2021 with its first national sale of eggs. To date, we are having excellent results in fresh water and sea water, and every day we supply more customers. We have a tremendous human and professional team, which, added to the biosecurity of our processes, the constant R&D work carried out by Benchmark globally, and the excellent quality of eggs we produce all year round, allows us to supply the market with a product designed for each need of our customers.
All fish farms and sea centers are different, they have different realities and challenges, which we have seen are changing in recent years. Here, the design and delivery of a product that can adjust to the reality of each area is key. The robust genetics we are offering are aimed precisely in that direction. It's not just about buying eggs, but about buying a product for a specific reality. Benchmark Genetics, at this point, is a tremendous provider, given the advantages we have when selecting and designing "THE" product that is needed.
In terms of research and development, what projects is Benchmark Genetics Chile specifically enhancing for the industry?
Currently, we are working on projects aimed at enhancing Chile as a backup for the group's operations in Norway and Iceland. Chile has an extraordinary human team, along with top-level facilities in the field of biosecurity and production, so our goal is to be an exporter of ova to the world. Additionally, we are working on other lines of research and development of products aimed, for example, at sterility (vital to minimize the damage from fish escapes).
