The seaweed industry is growing - and creating benefits for more people

A young industry working together for the future

Below the surface, from Bohuslän along the Halland coast and beyond, a new raw material is being cultivated like never before - Swedish seaweed. And as the seaweed grows, so do new products, services and partnerships. One of them is the Swedish seaweed in season campaign, which brings the industry together to highlight the full potential of seaweed.

The campaign currently brings together over 30 Swedish companies and organizations that grow, process, educate or otherwise work with Swedish seaweed - from large-scale production to tourism, taste experiences and innovation. During the spring, several of the companies have organized and participated in joint activities that in various ways highlight the seaweed and its various uses.

- "Basically, it's an initiative from the industry. We at Innovatum Science Park act as a neutral platform that can create a structure for collaboration," says Elsa Fries, project manager for blue bioeconomy at Innovatum Science Park.

Seaweed - Sweden's first spring primrose

Unlike most other crops, seaweed grows during the winter and is best harvested in early spring. It is rich in minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and natural umami, among others.

- We are seeing a steadily growing interest - both from industry and from ordinary consumers. Many people want to understand how seaweed is grown, and our guided tours have become an important way to explain the potential of seaweed," says Kajsa Olsson from Nordic Seafarm, one of Sweden's most established seaweed companies, with both production and product development.

- We have managed to combine communication, sales and training. This has been crucial to our growth - we have doubled our sales in recent years," she says.

New business models

In recent years, there has been a real boom in the seaweed sector. The number of companies has grown significantly and today there are players across the value chain - from cultivation to consumer-ready products. But scaling up requires more than passion - it requires business models and structures. That's where companies like Koastal come in.

- "We are working on building a model where fishermen can complement their business with seaweed farming. It's a way to create more resilience in an industry that is affected by quotas and seasons," says Samuel Amant from Koastal.

Koastal acts as a kind of hub in the value chain - offering help with applying for permits and solving logistics and marketing, among other things. This allows others to grow seaweed without having to take on the full business risks of the new crop themselves.

- Our goal is to build an ecosystem where not every grower has to invent everything from scratch, but where we take care of some of the logistics and business, so that more people can get started.

More than food - an industry of the future

Seaweed is not just food, today products are also being developed in bio-based materials, cosmetics and ingredients for the industry of the future. Kajsa Olsson at Nordic Seafarm believes that hybrid products and biomaterials will be the next big step.

- Hybrid food products - where seaweed is mixed with other ingredients - are a clear trend. But new applications in biomaterials are also coming on strong.

The industry agrees: there is much more to discover.

- We have only scratched the surface. There will be more uses - we are absolutely sure of that," says Elsa Fries at Innovatum Science Park.

 - What we want now is not only for the seaweed bubble to grow, but to reach even further, to actors who can contribute to an even larger commercial scale," says Samuel Amant at Koastal.