Working with Farmers
We want to be the missing link between farmers and higher-value markets.
Our grand plan is to transform seaweed farming into a larger and more productive industry.
here's so much energy and enthusiasm for kelp farming these days, and there are more and more people starting small farms.
It's exciting!
The problem is that the markets for the seaweed being farmed today are limited. The Maine Seaweed Exchange’s Kelp Collective puts it like this: “Farmers are growing their seaweed only to find there is little to no market to sell their crops.”
Most often, seaweed gets sold as food -- for snacks or tea or soup.
Don't get us wrong! Seaweed as food is great! It's totally healthy! Unfortunately, outside Asia we just don't eat that much of it. Not right now we don't. So demand is low.
In general, the markets into which farmed seaweed gets sold are quite low-value. This isn't because higher-value markets couldn't exist. It's because, thus far, the industry lacks access to bio-engineering know-how as well as processing capacity.
We want to support coastal communities by creating jobs while enabling this ancient and amazing healthy and environmentally protective organism to thrive
