With the funds, the entrepreneurs can oversee the expansion of their seaweed farms and bring more seaweed products to the European market. This will result in more positive impact in the field of sustainable agriculture and the food transition. The investment also means that The Seaweed Company and minority shareholder Colruyt Group will continue to join forces.
The Dutch start-up, founded in 2018, produces seaweed at its own farms in Ireland, Morocco, India and the Netherlands. It markets high-quality seaweed applications such as animal feed supplements, food products and biostimulants, natural products that positively influence the growth, quality and resistance of crops.
After successful tests with agricultural entrepreneurs and companies in the Netherlands and abroad, the seaweed products have been marketed under the “blue farming” and “blue health” concepts since 2021. After the success of these first concepts, Colruyt Group's investment – the third and largest investment to date for The Seaweed Company – will be used to significantly scale up the company in the coming years.
Seaweed products for Europe
The aim of The Seaweed Company is to be a leading player in the sector to get seaweed as an ingredient on the menu of farmers, consumers and companies in Europe. Within the blue health concept, products are developed that contribute to the health and well-being of people and that support the transition to a sustainable diet.
Seaweed can be a nature-positive solution for the various social challenges that arise today. Colruyt Group, a Belgian family business that attaches great importance to sustainable entrepreneurship, is also aware of this and has therefore been a shareholder of The Seaweed Company since 2019.
SeaEO Joost Wouters said, “we are extremely proud that Colruyt Group is further expanding its minority interest to 21 percent and that we can continue to work on expanding our platform together with this commercial partner with thorough market knowledge. Our products and concepts have already proven themselves and we are therefore ready to further scale up our company in all aspects and to further increase our execution power. Connecting our seaweed knowledge and expertise with the strengths of others, such as those of Colruyt Group, enables us to take major steps in the field of sustainable agriculture and food applications.”
Strategic partnerships
Stefan Goethaert, leader of Colruyt Group's agricultural policy, confirms that The Seaweed Company and Colruyt Group are a good match. “From Colruyt Group, we see a lot of potential in seaweed. It is extremely versatile and can be used in food, animal feed, fertilisers and even as an alternative to plastic in packaging. As a group, we want to take responsibility to produce meat in a more environmentally friendly way and making animal feed more sustainable plays an important role in this. At the same time, we are constantly looking for ways to make our packaging more sustainable. We are therefore investing in The Seaweed Company because we are convinced that they can provide sustainable solutions in various sectors, from agriculture to packaging, thanks to their expertise in developing innovative products based on seaweed.”
For The Seaweed Company, setting up reliable, ecologically and socially responsible seaweed chains is the most important starting point. The Seaweed Company has the network, expertise and experience to put seaweed on the map and at the same time realise a sustainable impact. In the coming years, the focus will be on sustainable seaweed cultivation on their own farms or partners and the accelerated roll-out and marketing of the blue farming and blue health products.
