Seaweeders scoop Cornish Business of the Year Award
The Cornish Seaweed Company; Cornwall’s first edible seaweed harvesters, win Cornish Business of the Year at Hub Business Awards
Since its inception in 2013, The Cornish Seaweed Company has grown to become a national household name. Having drawn reporters visiting from Sky Magazine, Vice, The Guardian, The Telegraph and many other such magazines; attention to the changing shape of food in Cornwall has received national press.
Created by two friends with environmental backgrounds, the co-founders both had experience of testing waters, and witnessing the effects of pollution on waters overseas. After hearing a discussion on the radio about edible seaweed, Caro Warwick-Evans suggested setting up the company to Tim. Two years ago they visited a seaweed harvesting plant in Ireland to gather secrets of cutting, natural drying and processing seaweed. Shortly after, they were granted a license to harvest seaweed from the county’s Crown Estate to reap the superfood from the stunning Lizard peninsula.
Tim van Berkel, Co-founder of the company said, “We are more than chuffed to have won the Cornish Business of the Year Award. This is a fantastic recognition of the hard work our whole team has put in. Seaweed is becoming a more and more well-known superfood and we are proud to be creating, and riding, that wave!”
The Cornish Seaweed Co were the first company to get fresh seaweed into the supermarkets, and are working on expanding to others in the New Year. Their products are included in Michelin star menus from Nathan Outlaw, Rick Stein, Paul Ainsworth’s Cornish restaurants to The Fat Duck and The Cornwall Project, as well as many other top chefs. Cornish seaweed has been included in recipes on Saturday Kitchen by Raymond Blanc, Nathan Outlaw and Paul Ainsworth, as well as James Martin.
Over the summer, the company also lured film crews to come and spend a day ‘seaweeding’, for TV appearances scheduled next year. The company are currently working on a recipe collection with food writer Laura Barnes and Food Photographer of the Year David Griffen.
Currently having a brief harvesting hiatus over winter, to allow the algae to absorb the lowered light, the company are working on their expansion in 2016. Committed to sustainable harvesting, they are considering options for increasing their harvest, which has grown from about 1000kg per month to around four times that during the fresh harvest season. Hoping to increase fresh seaweed availability in supermarkets, they will be selling dulse, laver, sea spaghetti and sea greens per month. Following three television appearance to dates, the company have seen a huge increase in demand relating; pertaining to public interest in health and detox diets.
Operating on Cornwall’s most southerly peninsula, The Cornish Seaweed Company are a sustainable business who are getting their message right and consistently drawing press attention to Cornwall.
To find out more about the health benefits of seaweed, please visit http://cornishseaweedcompany.co.uk/
Contact
Issued by The Cornish Seaweed Co. Please direct press enquiries to Laura Barnes. email: press@cornishseaweed.co.uk or Tel: 07729263818
Laura Barnes
Press manager for The Cornish Seaweed Company
07729263818
press@cornishseaweedcompany.co.uk
Harvesting, processing and selling hand harvested, licensed seaweed as a healthy, nutritious, delicious and sustainable food source.
