During a business trip to New Caledonia, Enrique "Quito" Braun-Ortega, CEO and Owner, was introduced to the Pacific Blue Shrimp of New Caledonia. Impressed with the sweet fresh flavor of the New Caledonian Prawn, Enrique invested in this new aquaculture venture.

The project was begun in 1993 and in 1996 the first ponds were seeded at Blue Lagoon Farms in the Northern Province. However, it was not an easy start and several challenges had to be overcome. With its own Hatchery, Écloserie du Nord, Blue lagoon Farms's production increased steadily.

In 2000, Blue Lagoon Farms exported its first containers of Markea Prawns™ to the United States. Markea Prawns™ is the brand Blue Lagoon Farms markets the Pacific Blue Shrimp. It is a combination of Enrique's children's first names, Marla and Keala. Braun Management Co., Ltd., the sole importer in the US, began selling the prawns through out Hawaii. In the summer of 2000, the Company expanded its market to the continental US with the majority of Markea Prawns™ inventory located in Los Angeles. Marla Braun-Ortega, Enrique's daughter, joined the family business as General Manager. Braun Management continues to actively promote this Exceptional Specie of Shrimp through out the United States. In New Caledonia, the Blue Lagoon Farms Group acquired in 2002 another farm, Pénéide de Ouano, in the Southern Province. With this increase in production, additional investments were required to build the Pénéide de Ouano Shrimp Packing Plant, which began operation in January 2005.

Now with full control of all production phases, we produce only high quality whole prawns. Our main objective is to preserve the Freshness and Natural Flavor of Markea Prawns™.