BALATON — They developed a way to raise shrimp on a commercial scale in Minnesota and South Dakota, and now the tru Shrimp Company will be working with a major food service provider to distribute their shrimp.

Tru Shrimp announced Tuesday that it has signed a letter of intent to work with Gordon Food Service to provide safe and sustainable shrimp to customers across the country. In a press release, tru Shrimp said the move showed commitment by both companies to invest in producing shrimp at scale in the U.S.

Tru Shrimp is currently in the process of raising capital to build its first commercial production facility. The construction is planned for a site in Madison, S.D.

“We couldn’t be prouder about the opportunity in front of us with the team at Gordon,” said Michael Ziebell, president and CEO of tru Shrimp. “From our very first conversation, we have appreciated their knowledge, candor and willingness to create a vision for the future together. The values of our companies really complement one another, and we’re confident this will be a fruitful long-term relationship for us both.”

Gordon Food Service serves food service operators around the U.S., including in the Midwest, Northeast, Southwest and Southeast regions of the country, as well as coast-to-coast in Canada. Gordon also operates more than 175 Gordon Food Service Store locations in the U.S.

The partnership between tru Shrimp and Gordon will leverage Gordon’s distribution network to deliver tru Shrimp products to restaurants, retailers and consumers, the announcement said.

“Our customers continue to express their interest in natural, healthy products, and shrimp is an area in which we have been looking for a partner,” said Jagtar Nijjar, director of imports and commodities at Gordon Food Service. “We believe this creates an offering no one else can match and we’re eager to grow with tru Shrimp in the years to come.”