Why I started a seaweed company
I fell in love with seaweed in 2016. I was in Kiribati doing research on climate adaptation strategies and happened to visit a local seaweed farm. Not only did these fluttery fronds look otherworldly, but they also provided a source of livelihood and nutrition to the I-Kiribati community, who live in one of the most food-scarce parts of the world. Uniquely nutritious and an abundant food source?! I went from being a casual fan (sushi, snacks) to realizing just how powerful seaweed really is.
Four years later, I found myself in my San Francisco kitchen staring at piles upon piles of red and brown seaweed, and various other ingredients. With the help of my brother (thanks, Arj) and his trusty KitchenAid, Rootless was born.
Before my seaweed epiphany, I had spent a decade of my career working on international climate and oceans issues across think tanks, academia, and philanthropy. As you can imagine, much of what I learned through that experience was dire. Until I came across seaweed — a rare, bright spot. The more I learned about it, the more I wondered, “Why aren’t more people talking about seaweed????” (I am not alone — there are plenty of seaweed evangelists and seaweed brands out there, including Atlantic Sea Farms, Daybreak Seaweed, etc.). Eventually, I got so obsessed with seaweed that I quit my job to figure out a way to help us all eat more seaweed — for our health, and the health of our planet and coastal communities. I don’t exaggerate when I say that I believe seaweed is transformative.
If you’re starting to nod off or dream about onigiri, hear me out. Here you have a uniquely abundant food source that reduces the agricultural burden on land, only requires sunlight and ocean water to grow (i.e. no added fertilizer, pesticides, or even freshwater!), and actively regenerates the environment in which it’s grown. Bonkers, right? Studies have shown that seaweed deacidifies the ocean, leading to healthier shellfish with thicker shells (oysters + seaweed…name a more iconic duo). Scientists are also evaluating seaweed’s role in locking up atmospheric carbon and its potential to alleviate the impacts of climate change.
All these add up to seaweed’s unique “health halo” — and it’s not limited to the environment. Seaweed has crazy benefits for human health, backed by decades of scientific research as well as millennia of cultural tradition across the globe. Like land veggies, each seaweed species has a slightly different nutrition profile, but broadly contains high quality protein, dietary and prebiotic fiber, and a host of minerals, vitamins, and bioactives that have been shown to have antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidising properties. The TL;DR: seaweed is the single best thing you could be adding to your diet.
Unsurprisingly, communities that eat seaweed regularly have lower incidence of metabolic syndrome disease, and are living longer, healthier lives. Scientists are even examining seaweed’s role in fighting cancer. Hot tip: keep an eye out for research around kelp’s bioactives, fucoidan and fucoxanthin.
And yet, despite all this (waves arms around), few of us are incorporating seaweed into our daily diet. That’s why, earlier this year, we launched Rootless to the world.
At Rootless, we believe that while seaweed is delicious as food, it is exponentially valuable in a daily supplement form. We’re building a health company around seaweed and its unique nutrition profile. Our first product is the Daily Bite, a whole food supplement made with sustainably sourced seaweed as well as organic almonds, dates, and seeds. Since launching, we’ve sent tens of thousands of bites out into the world and are already seeing our early adopters reap the benefits of its potent nutrition.
I’m thrilled to be on this journey, and for the opportunity to do a tiny bit to bring more health and sustainability into the world. I’m excited to share more about our approach to product development (why daily? Why whole food?) as well as sustainability in the future. And I hope you’ll give us a try! Feel free to take 20% off your first Rootless Starter Kit with code SEAWEEDFAN
