Our Story
PanaSea Global
We are guided by Three Interconnected Beliefs:
– We can supply the market’s growing demand for sea cucumbers; AND
– We can protect and preserve the local marine ecosystem; AND
– We can provide jobs to a challenged local economy.
Headquartered on the Caribbean coast of Panama and founded in 2018, Panasea is the first open-ocean sea cucumber hatchery.
Linton Bay, Panama
David Grossman
Founder and CEO
Dave is a 10-year veteran of developing sustainable international commerce start-ups in the Latin American marketplace. He has hands-on experience processing and exporting native Nicaragua sea cucumbers which inspired him to locate an aquaculture operation in the Caribbean. Thus, PanaSea Global based in Linton Bay, Panama was born.
Dr Georgina Robinson
Technical Lead
With over 12 years’ experience in the aquaculture industry in both temperate and tropical environments. Extensive experience in the field of tropical sea cucumber aquaculture around the world.
Jon Beer
General Manager
Jon Beer has a production engineering background and many years of operations management and team building experience, the last 15 of which has been spent working in sustainable business in Central and Latin America.
Luis Felaco
Scientific Advisor
Luis Felaco has devoted the past 8 years conducting exhaustive studies of cultivation techniques for Caribbean sea cucumbers, working toward a PhD from CINVESTAV in Mexico and placing him among a rare handful of such researchers worldwide.
Jean-François Hamel
Scientific Advisor
Sea cucumber species expert-fundamental biology and reproductive habits.
Laura Canevari
Sustainability Lead
For over a decade, Laura has worked on climate adaptation and climate change risk management. She holds a PhD from King’s College London, as well as an MSc from Oxford University.
Rosalind Baitel
Public Relations
Roz has worked in academia, with NGOs as well as with local communities across Panama for more than 30 years. A Biologist by training, she is among the country’s most highly networked business connectors and is instrumental in creating important liaisons for PanaSea.
Valerio DeSanctis
Founder
Valerio has led the fishing industry in Panama for the past 30 years as the owner of the Panalang Union Group. He is President of the Fish Exporters Chamber of Commerce and is an elected board member of ARAP (Panama Water Resources Authority).
Allan Baitel
Founder
A native Panamanian from the Colon region and a graduate of Colgate University in New York, Allan has spent most of his life promoting sustainable development throughout Panama’s Caribbean coast. Utilizing his background in finance and global risk management, Allan has been instrumental in the commercial development of the region.
Industry Experts
PanaSea is comprised of the top international experts necessary to execute such a specialized project.
PanaSea
Environmentally Sustainable
Financially Sustainable
Socially Sustainable