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Innovative local food producers tap into sustainable health foods market

In the Highlands, a small team of growers, harvesters and processors has spotted the potential of natural Scottish seaweed.

Rural Matters crossed paths with Shore Seaweed at last year’s Royal Highland Show, where they shared their story with us. A year on, we caught up with Shore’s Marc Biedul to see how the rural business is doing.

Since 2016 Shore has been growing, harvesting and processing seaweed around Wick to create snacks and other food products.

With a natural superfood on their doorstep, Shore saw the opportunity to use seaweed Wick offers to tap into the growing interest in locally-produced and plant-based foods.

“Since more people are eating plant-based foods, we realised there was an opportunity here to turn this local, nutritious and sustainable plant into everyday tasty products that are good for the coastal environment and for our local rural communities.”

Based in Alness, Shore employs 15 local people in its factory as well as seasonal workers and has recently secured funding from a £500,000 business development grant from Highlands and Islands Enterprise, as well as a £600,000 investment from Scottish Enterprise.

Shore is constantly innovating and this is shaping their future, says Marc:

“Our mission is to introduce seaweed into the kitchens, offices, and lunch boxes across Scotland. We continue to innovate and make our healthy snacks and make seaweed products accessible to all. We want to put our local seaweed firmly at the forefront of the healthier snacking revolution.”

Shore has recently launched a new range of plant-based chips and snacking products as well as branching out into pestos and tapenades.

To find out more about the Shore Seaweed story and their products, visit their website: https://shoreseaweed.com/