SeaGrown is a seaweed farming and processing company based in

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, England. It was established in 2018 and in 2019, it was given a grant to be able to grow its own seaweed in a specific area off the coast of Scarborough. It is England's first large-scale, commercial seaweed farm.

History

SeaGrown was formed in 2018 by Wave Crookes and Laura Robinson; Crookes was previously a diver in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

who was involved in other maritime occupations, and Robinson is a professor of geochemistry. Initially, the farming of seaweed was literally the two of them cutting seaweed at low tide in and around Scarborough. At the outset, the company was just the two of them and the seaweed was processed into use as a foodstuff, for pets, bath products and restaurants. The expansion plans, coupled with grants of £500,000 from the Coastal Communities Fund and £25,000 from the Business Enterprise Fund, hope to see the company expand to nine and later 23 to 25 employees. The money also went into buying newer processing equipment. The company have acquired a site, which is underwater, and some out into the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

off the coast of Scarborough. The farm will have buoys and markers with sunken lines onto which the seaweed will grow. The farm area is well away from shipping lanes and is England's first large-scale, commercial farm for seaweed. Whilst Crookes and Robinson acknowledge that the seaweed farming industry has not taken off in Britain (it is farmed in Holland, Spain and Scandinavia), the coast around Scarborough is good for seaweed "prolifically and naturally." The company have a processing plant located in the town of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. The seaweed will be landed at Scarborough harbour for onward transportation to the processing plant.

Accolades

In 2019, SeaGrown was announced as the ''Yorkshire Life'' magazine's ''Producer of the Year'' in their annual Food and Drink Awards.

Products

The harvested seaweed is used in bioplastics and the food industry. In 2020, a Yorkshire-based spirit distiller produced a rum derived from sugar-kelp harvested off the coast of Scarborough.

Notes

References

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External links