Adrian Burstein was quite accustomed to blank stares when he said he was farming and supplying paiche.

The Florida-based Artisanfish founder and CEO had a great product, but distributors just weren’t willing to take a chance on an unknown species from a relatively new company. When starting to promote the giant freshwater fish, often called the “king of the Amazon,” Burstein admitted he was a little naive, thinking he could get the product to be a household name in a short time.

“It