In July 2021 I joined the algae innovation platform hosted by Hethel Innovation in Norfolk for the second online event discussing potential future development of sustainable aquaculture in the East of England.
I gave a 15 minute presentation on the status of The Seaweed Shack, as well as a number of ambitious ideas for the future.
Norwich Market Pop-Up July 2020
I spent most of lockdown working part-time as a gardener and isolating in a friends’ flat (thanks Tom & Liv!) in Edinburgh, but have since relocated to Norwich for the next chapter in the Seaweed Shack’s journey..
Norwich Market pop-up stall was a month ago now and I’d like to thank everyone who came and showed interest in the stall (also to Sally & Rupert who handed out lots of flyers!) While it wasn’t quite the hit I was (naïvely) hoping for, the fact is I didn’t do enough market research. Corona aside, Norwich Market’s core business seems to consist primarily of takeaway food, veg and coffee stalls. People going to well-known stalls for their lunch, weekly veg or just a coffee to go. My stall would probably do better at a farmer’s market.
In other news, there a a couple of new products coming up in the Seaweed Shack webshop:
Lunary Eye Gel from Ellipsis Brands (based in Norfolk) have this eye gel containing bladderwrack (fucus vesiculosus). I can tell you it’s pretty easy on the eyes!
Seaweed Chutney from the Isle of Mull! In both sweet & spicey varieties, goes great in a sandwich, curry or just with cheese. It will definitely be a mainstay of my kitchen from now on.
Otherwise I’ve had my first attempts at growing coastal vegetables (sadly no seaweed yet) with some success, and now have a decent amount of samphire, sea spinach, sea rocket, rock samphire and sea aster among others slowly taking over my dad’s garden..
And finally.. the Seaweed Shack will soon be taking on a whole new dimension in the form of a mobile kitchen! As she’s not quite ready to be doused in champagne just yet, I will leave you with just a teaser. Watch this space!
We’ve now done 2 markets down in Leith, with reasonable success despite the slightly rubbishy weather! The atmosphere is really nice and the other stallholders are a lovely bunch with real community spirit. I can’t wait for the next one. I’ve been working on my own product range which now includes:
seaweed, bergamot & tea tree soap
mini scented candles
seaweed bath bombs
seaweed bath super soakers
seaweed & aloe vera face mask
kelpie tea
seaweed kombucha
seaweed pesto
seaweed hummus
seaweed baba ganoush
seaweed-themed postcards
seaweed sourdough bread
seaweed onion bhajis
seaweed falafel
more to come..
The next one will be on 21st March 2020. Hope to see you there!
The Seaweed Shack (i.e. me in my van) made the wet & windy trip to Oban a few weeks ago to attend the SSIA conference 2020.
Two days of talks and workshops included interesting presentations from Hortimare, AtSeaNova, Oceanium, Food Standards Agency, Scottish Natural Heritage, Marine Scotland among others.
Day 1
The focus was on business: scaling up seaweed farms as well as the collaborative development of policies and legislation. Despite there being around 150 attendees, there were only a handful of seaweed farmers and only 1 or 2 investors present, the rest being either scientists or interested newcomers (like myself).
The main topics of discussion seemed to be how regulation and bureaucracy can be streamlined for seaweed-centric operations. Currently, the licensing process for seaweed is the same as for a large scale salmon farm, which is prohibitively expensive for small start-ups without external investment. Investors seem to be keen on the environmental benefits, but sceptical as to how the UK can compete with international markets (i.e. China and the Far East).
The consensus seemed to be that seaweed farms need a social licence from both government, local councils and the public before they can become commonplace. Even then, there is still a lack of value-added consumer products to justify even small-scale production in the UK.
If anything, this affirmed my conviction that setting up a farm with the current planning & licensing system isn’t worth the effort just yet (and is way out of my budget anyway). Interestingly though, one SAMS PhD student said that adding seaweed to an existing shellfish farm is probably the easiest route to take.
Day 2
The second day comprised presentations and workshops hosted by SAMS scientists and PHD students. Talks were given on IMTA, hatchery & transport techniques, detrital carbon, genetic surveys and social licence. This was essentially a further networking session and I had some interesting conversations with SAMS scientists, the KelpRing team and Norfolk Seaweeds Ltd.
These workshops reaffirmed my own conclusions: that small-scale, integrated systems of low-trophic species are the way forward, mainly because they are more likely to gain public approval. Furthermore, that land-based RAS (recirculating aquaculture systems) not only provide more control over environmental conditions, but also provide a viable alternative to sea-based systems (with much less bureaucracy).
What I wasn’t aware of was that the production of seed material (i.e. unialgal cultures of sporophytes) is so far only established for alaria esculenta (wakame/winged kelp/dabberlocks )and saccharina latissima (sugar kelp), but the process is much more difficult for species such as palmaria palmata (dulse). Also, that seaweed does not sequester carbon: seaweed does not actively deposit carbon as land-based plants do into soil. Instead, they act as a temporary carbon store until they die and the detritus sinks to the bottom of the sea. Nevertheless, this still justifies the ‘planting’ of kelp forests, and their rapid growth will still pull carbon out of the sea and reduce acidification.
All in all, I’m definitely glad I went to the conference. I made some good contacts and learnt a lot. My long-term plan remains largely unchanged: an integrated RAS system including ranched crustaceans, shellfish, echinoderms, seaweed and halophytes. This would of course be the backend of the business, with The Seaweed Shack being the customer-facing end :)
The Seaweed Shack took its first tentative steps in the big world of business on 30th November at East Craigs Primary School and on 7th December at Custom House, Leith.
The latter was a success, in part due to Leith market being located just outside, so we benefitted from the extra footfall. The best sellers on the day were soaps and seaweeds, to the extent that I’ll have to order in some more stock!
The fairs otherwise generated some very good feedback, such as the need for signage, tasters, recipe suggestions and generally more information and engagement about the benefits of seaweed.
In other news, I’ve ordered some of my own soap & candle making kits so The Seaweed Shack will soon be adding to its very own product range!
Watch this space..
After years of talking about doing something with seaweed I have finally made a website. Or rather paid for one.
Having tried to get a job involving seaweed without success, I decided instead to do some market research and go it alone.
I began by looking into the requirements to establish an offshore seaweed farm, and quickly decided that the cost of marine surveys, enrivonmental impact assessments, licences, insurance, legal advice, training, equipment and unialgal cultures would soon leave me with nothing to live on. Except maybe seaweed.
Conversations with people in the industry in the UK and Germany suggested that there is not yet a substantial market for seaweed products in the West. While seaweed is found in a plethora of everyday items, it is produced much more cheaply in the Far East and those supply chains that do exist are already well established.
However, with an increasing focus on local, foraged and hand-made produce (such as the Transition Movement), it’s clear there is still a niche for small-scale seaweed businesses in the UK.
I was lucky enough to visit the Isle of Ulbha this summer and discover that kelp used to be one of the main industries on the island. It was harvested, dried and burnt to make potash (potassium) for use in glassware and as lye in soap manufacturing, which eventually became redundant in the industrial era.
In August I took a trip to Ireland to check out some seaweed-related businesses. The first was an abalone farm near Galway, Mungo Murphy’s Seaweed Company. Sinéad and Cindy were both very welcoming and showed me round, even letting me observe the spawning process. They definitely have their niche, and complement the sale of abalone with seaweed products alongside foraging and tasting tours.
In and around Cork the Wild Atlantic Seaweed Baths company operate their pop-up hot tubs, and I was lucky enough to get a booking. The Fucus Serratus seaweed instantly went gloopy in the hot water and felt amazing on the skin. Definitely one to try at home, perhaps not with a 3000 litre kerosene boiler, though.
Finally, on a trip to Wales, I checked out Café Môr on the Pembrokeshire Coast, part of the Pembrokeshire Beachfood Company.
They’re continuing a history of seaweed harvesting (commonly used in the famous laverbread), with the last remaining thatched Seaweed Shack (the original article) just a stone’s throw from their catering trailer - now a mini museum reminding us of a pre-industrial past.
In October I relocated to Edinburgh and started experimenting with recipes such as sourdough, sauerkraut, pesto, hummus, chowder, burgers and smoothies. I have also been foraging nearby and gradually orientating myself with the East coast of Scotland.
Since then, I have been in touch with some artisans who use seaweed in their products. They have all told me that seaweed products are their best sellers.
It seems to me as though there are an increasing number of seaweed products being made by producers big and small, but the smaller ones struggle to sell in sufficient quantities to interest the larger retailers. And larger producers tend to use suppliers and ingredients of opaque provenance.
So I thought that a one-stop shop for seaweed products would give small producers a retail outlet. I could be the boots on the ground by literally bringing their products to market, contributing whatever products of my own along the way.
