BACK THE BUILD
RESERVE YOUR TROUT
Become One of Our First Customers
Steelhead Springs is building an indoor Rainbow Trout farm in Kane County, Illinois, around a simple belief: good farming should produce exceptional food while taking responsibility for the water, land, and natural resources that make farming possible.
Our recirculating aquaculture system is being designed to continuously filter, treat, oxygenate, and reuse water throughout the farm. Nutrients removed from fish production can be recovered and given another purpose rather than simply discarded, while raising fish indoors allows us to produce food close to the families, restaurants, businesses, and communities we hope to serve.
Steelhead Springs is still being built, and the most meaningful way to support the farm right now is also the simplest: become one of our first customers. Founding Orders help us build a dependable customer base, plan future production around real demand, and prepare for the day our first American raised Rainbow Trout leave the farm.
Every fish reserved matters because every reservation tells us that someone believes there is a place for responsibly raised American seafood and wants to be part of helping us build it.
HELP BUILD A BETTER WAY TO FARM
Support American Food Production. Conserve Natural Resources. Bring More Local Food Home.
Steelhead Springs is being built around the idea that America can produce more of its own food while using modern technology to reduce pressure on natural resources. Our indoor aquaculture system is designed to reuse water, recover valuable nutrients, maintain carefully controlled growing conditions, and shorten the distance between the farm and the people eating what we raise.
We believe responsible indoor aquaculture can become one part of a stronger American food system. Our farm alone will not solve the enormous challenges facing agriculture, but every additional source of responsibly produced domestic food makes our communities a little more resilient.
That is what we are asking our Founding Customers to help us build.
FOUNDING ORDER SPECIAL
Reserve the First Harvest. Become Part of the Steelhead Springs Story.
Before Steelhead Springs opens for regular farm direct sales, we are offering a limited opportunity to become one of our Founding Customers and reserve Rainbow Trout from our first commercial harvest.
Our currently planned regular farm direct price for cleaned whole Rainbow Trout is $16.99 per lb. Customers who reserve larger quantities before our first harvest will receive exclusive Founding Customer pricing based on the size of their reservation.
The fish count in each package is fixed, while the total weight is an estimate. For planning purposes, we use an average cleaned weight of approximately 2.35 lbs per fish, with individual cleaned fish expected to vary approximately from 1.95 lbs to 2.75 lbs. Final order totals will be based on the actual cleaned weight of the fish at the applicable Founding Customer rate.
LIMITED AMOUNT AVAILABE
FOUNDING HARVEST PACKAGES
5 TROUT FOUNDING PACKAGE
Approximately 11.75 lbs of cleaned Rainbow Trout based on planning weight.
Founding Customer Rate: $16.14 per lb
Approximately 5% below our planned regular farm direct price.
Estimated Total: $189.65
25 TROUT FOUNDING PACKAGE
Approximately 58.75 lbs of cleaned Rainbow Trout based on planning weight.
Founding Customer Rate: $15.29 per lb
Approximately 10% below our planned regular farm direct price.
Estimated Total: $898.29
50 TROUT FOUNDING PACKAGE
Approximately 117.5 lbs of cleaned Rainbow Trout based on planning weight.
Founding Customer Rate: $14.44 per lb
Approximately 15% below our planned regular farm direct price.
Estimated Total: $1,696.70
100 TROUT FOUNDING PACKAGE
Approximately 235 lbs of cleaned Rainbow Trout based on planning weight.
Founding Customer Rate: $13.59 per lb
Approximately 20% below our planned regular farm direct price.
Estimated Total: $3,193.65
200 TROUT FOUNDING PACKAGE
Approximately 470 lbs of cleaned Rainbow Trout based on planning weight.
Founding Customer Rate: $12.74 per lb
Approximately 25% below our planned regular farm direct price.
Estimated Total: $5,987.80
THE MORE YOU RESERVE, THE MORE YOU SAVE
Founding Harvest packages are designed for families, restaurants, caterers, weddings, special events, businesses, organizations, and commercial customers who want to reserve premium American raised Rainbow Trout directly from the farm.
These packages also allow Steelhead Springs to better understand future customer demand before regular production begins. For us, that information is enormously valuable because it helps us plan harvest volume, processing, packaging, and future production around customers who have already told us they want the fish.
FOUNDING ORDER RESERVATION TERMS
At this stage, submitting a Founding Order reservation does not require payment and does not create a binding purchase contract. Steelhead Springs will contact each Founding Customer before accepting a deposit or payment so that the expected harvest window, final purchasing terms, pickup or delivery arrangements, and applicable cancellation and refund policies can be provided in writing.
Steelhead Springs is currently targeting its first commercial harvest for Summer 2027, although actual timing will depend upon construction, regulatory approvals, system commissioning, fish growth, and operational readiness. Founding Customers will receive updates as the farm progresses toward production.
Package weights shown on this page are estimates based on an average cleaned weight of 2.35 lbs per Rainbow Trout. Individual fish will naturally vary in size, so the final weight and total purchase price will vary. Once a Founding Order is confirmed, the applicable Founding Customer price per pound will be applied to the actual cleaned weight of the fish supplied.
Farm pickup in Kane County, Illinois is expected to be the primary fulfillment option. Local delivery and commercial delivery may also become available depending upon order size, location, harvest scheduling, and the delivery capabilities available when production begins.
A ONCE IN A FARM'S LIFETIME OFFER
There can only be one first harvest.
Years from now, Steelhead Springs may be producing Rainbow Trout every week, serving restaurants, families, businesses, institutions, and communities throughout the region. But there will never be another group of customers who can say they were here before the first Steelhead Springs commercial harvest.
That is what makes the Founding Order Special different from an ordinary volume discount. Once regular production begins, our normal farm direct pricing and ongoing volume programs will take its place. The Founding Customer program belongs to the people and businesses willing to raise their hands before the first fish ever reaches the table.
Our hope is that years from now, when Steelhead Springs has grown far beyond where it stands today, our Founding Customers will still be able to say something very few people ever get to say about a farm:
We were here before the first harvest.
YOUR FOUNDING ORDER REACHES BEYOND THE FARM
Every Founding Order helps Steelhead Springs move closer to producing more food here at home. It helps us demonstrate real demand for American raised Rainbow Trout, strengthens the connection between the farmer and the consumer, supports a production system designed around water conservation and nutrient recovery, and helps create another source of domestic seafood in Illinois.
We are not asking people to support Steelhead Springs simply because we are building a fish farm. We are asking people who believe in American agriculture, responsible aquaculture, local food production, and knowing where their food comes from to become part of the farm's beginning.
Raise More Here. Import Less. Waste Less. Conserve More.
That is the future Steelhead Springs is working to build, and every Founding Customer becomes part of that story.
LENDERS, GRANT PROGRAMS & INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT
Steelhead Springs is not offering investments or soliciting public loans through this website. Banks, agricultural lenders, corporate grant programs, sponsors, agricultural organizations, and institutions interested in supporting or working with Steelhead Springs are welcome to contact Daniel Bates directly to discuss appropriate opportunities.
READY TO RESERVE YOUR HARVEST?
Becoming a Founding Customer begins with a reservation. There is no payment required at this stage. Tell us which package interests you, and we will keep you informed as Steelhead Springs moves toward its first commercial harvest.
