Seaweed Cultivation Market Analysis 2026

• Triodos Food Transition Europe Fund takes equity stake in Ocean Rainforest

The Triodos Food Transition Europe Fund, based in the Netherlands, has acquired a minority equity stake in Ocean Rainforest, marking the fund’s first venture into the sustainable aquaculture sector. In its announcement, the fund emphasized that this investment not only targets a rapidly expanding global market but also aligns with Triodos’ commitment to Nature-Based Solutions, as seaweed offers significant benefits for biodiversity and has a strong capacity for carbon sequestration.
Ocean Rainforest successfully raised a total of EUR 2.5 million in this funding round, with contributions from both existing shareholders and new investors. The current shareholders include prominent global impact investors such as the Grantham Foundation, Builders Vision, Katapult Ocean, Twynam, and WWF.

• Ocean Rainforest secured technology to market plus up award

Ocean Rainforest, a leading innovator in sustainable seaweed aquaculture, has secured a USD 4.5 million Technology to Market Plus Up award from the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E) as part of the MARINER Program. This significant achievement marks a major step forward in the company’s dedication to advancing offshore Giant Kelp cultivation technologies in California.
The Plus Up award is an extension of Ocean Rainforest’s Phase 2 contract and will enable the company to operate an 86-acre offshore cultivation testbed for Macrocystis pyrifera in the Santa Barbara Channel. This initiative will allow Ocean Rainforest to lead the development and demonstration of high-yield macroalgal cultivation technologies under real offshore conditions, pushing the boundaries of sustainable aquaculture.

• Ocean Rainforest secures $6.2 Million in Series-A funding for North Atlantic and Eastern Pacific expansion

Ocean Rainforest is a seaweed cultivation and processing company with operations in the Faroe Islands, Europe, and California, USA. Since its inception in 2010, the company has developed a pioneering open ocean cultivation system, the first of its kind, which has consistently proven effective under real offshore conditions in both the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Today, Ocean Rainforest ranks among the largest commercial seaweed cultivators in Europe and has secured the first-ever offshore seaweed cultivation permit in United States federal waters, specifically off the coast of Santa Barbara, California.
The recent investment funding enables Ocean Rainforest to increase its seaweed production to meet the growing demand in the functional food and feed markets. 

• Ocean Rainforest leads successful €9 million seaweed grant bid

A consortium led by Ocean Rainforest, which includes 25 international and cross-disciplinary partners, has been granted €9 million to expand seaweed production and its market applications across Europe. The funding, provided by the Horizon Europe Framework Programme under the "Circular Economy and Bioeconomy Sectors" initiative (HORIZON-CL6-2021-CIRCBIO-01), supports the SeaMark project, which aims to establish the foundation for a completely new European maritime industry. This initiative is designed to address the growing demand for seaweed-based products and attract investment from various sectors.

• First Specialized Multi-Purpose Seaweed Vessel

Ocean Rainforest recently held a formal handover ceremony for the christening of their first specially built multi-purpose seaweed vessel. The vessel was named Breiðbløðka, a Faroese variation of the name for sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima). This new vessel, designated as no. 59 by KJ Hydraulic, a local shipbuilder known for crafting working boats for the aquaculture industry, marks a significant addition to the company’s fleet.

• Kelp Blue to invest N$3 billion over four years project secures off-take by global food company Nestle

Kelp Blue, an innovative sustainable aquaculture company, is poised to make a significant impact on the domestic economy with an ambitious investment plan that could total N$3 billion over the next three to four years. 
This follows an initial capital investment of N$350 million and annual operational costs ranging from N$80 million to N$100 million. Central to Kelp Blue’s operations is the cultivation of Giant Kelp off the coast of Lüderitz, where the company has received a license to develop what could become the world’s first large-scale kelp farm.

• De Beers Group invests US$2 million in Kelp Blue, an innovative start-Up focused on growing underwater Kelp forests to lock away CO2

De Beers Group has announced an investment of US$2 million in Kelp Blue, an innovative start-up focused on cultivating and managing large-scale giant kelp forests, initially off the coast of Namibia. These underwater forests have the potential to safely and permanently sequester significant amounts of CO2 in the ocean. Studies have demonstrated that kelp forests sequester more carbon than terrestrial forests and play a vital role in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems by providing food and shelter for numerous species.
In 2021, Kelp Blue was granted a license to cultivate Giant Kelp off Namibia’s coast and is currently in the pilot phase of its operations.

• Seaweed Solution AS completed the installation of infrastructure to farm a 19-hectare area in the Norwegian Sea

Seaweed Solutions AS, a pioneer in seaweed cultivation, has completed the installation of infrastructure to farm a 19-hectare area in the Norwegian Sea with a capacity of 500 tons of seaweed, paving the way for it to sharply raise production and leverage its unique position to become Europe’s leading seaweed company