INVESTING IN CANADIAN CLEANTECH INNOVATORS

Cascadia Seaweed on Foresight Canada’s 50 Most Investible Ventures List

“The Foresight 50 aren’t just businesses; they’re changemakers. These ventures tackle critical issues like waste reduction, renewable energy adoption, and food security, while driving economic growth and creating jobs. By connecting these pioneers with crucial capital and strategic partnerships, we’re paving the way for a greener, more prosperous economy.” -- Foresight Canada Cleantech Accelerator Across Canada

“We are thrilled with the support from both new and existing investors. We’ve built a vertically integrated business that delivers real environmental and economic benefits, and this funding will enable us to scale up and provide surety of supply of innovative inputs to our customers while contributing to more resilient food production in North America.” -- Michael Williamson, CEO Cascadia Seaweed

Interview with Erin Bremner-Mitchell, Communications at Cascadia Seaweed

By Suzanne Forcese

WT: Thanks for connecting with us again Erin and congratulations on Cascadia Seaweed’s being recognized by Foresight Canada!

Please give us an updated overview of Cascadia.

Mitchell: Cascadia Seaweed, founded in 2019, is a vertically integrated, AgTech company committed to revolutionizing the agricultural landscape by transforming a sustainable ocean crop into premium natural solutions for farmers.

Cascadia Seaweed cultivates local species of seaweed (three species of kelp) on low-impact ocean farms owned by coastal First Nations, then harvests that seaweed and manufactures products for regenerative agriculture, helping producers increase yields and reduce emissions.

As North America’s largest kelp cultivator, Cascadia Seaweed protects wild seaweed populations by sustainably cultivating its own, while scaling production to drive meaningful climate impact and support food security.

WT: Since WT last spoke with CEO Mike Williamson, there has been a pivot in the Cascadia product line. Can you explain why this change in focus.

Mitchell: Cascadia Seaweed is, and always has been, dedicated to building a more resilient food system. In 2022, we pivoted away from consumer-packaged food products into agricultural products derived from our cultivated seaweed to make an even more meaningful impact on climate change and food security.

Farmers face immense pressure to grow more food while coping with a changing climate, degrading soil conditions, rising input costs, and regulations requiring reduced emissions and fertilizer use.

Our liquid seaweed extracts improve yields and reduce emissions by decreasing the need for traditional chemical fertilizers, therefore reducing GHGs such as Nitrous oxide, increasing root development and enhancing the soil biome.

We like to think of our solution as sustainable aquaculture supporting regenerative agriculture. It’s circular and nature-based, addressing climate change and food security.

WT: Please give us a brief overview of each of the product lines.

Mitchell: Our commercial focus is on delivering large quantities of high-quality agricultural products, and we have two product lines to deliver these solutions — one for plant health and one for animal health.

Cascadia Seaweed is dedicated to producing liquid soil supplements (bio stimulants) and animal feed additives (Agri feeds) from cultivated seaweed to improve yield and reduce emissions in large-scale terrestrial agriculture.

By designing a two-product process flow, we strive to use 100% of our biomass, ensuring the economic viability of product development and maximizing our environmental benefits. This approach justifies our simultaneous entry into both markets.

Our immediate focus is on commercializing liquid biostimulants; however, we continue to improve processing techniques and run trials for dry feed additives.

WT: WT would be remiss if we did not mention a bit of a side gig that we noticed on the Cascadia blog. In a ‘World’s Best’ competition at the World Whiskey Awards in London, England, Cascadia collaborated with Vancouver Island’s Mcaloney Distillery in the ‘peat project’ with the infusion of Cascadia’s sugar kelp.

Mitchell: We love local collaborations, even if they are outside our commercial focus. We’ve also provided seaweed to local breweries, such as Small Gods, Driftwood Brewery, and Four Winds.

WT: Cascadia is developing a global presence please tell us about some of the highlights of your journey thus far.

Mitchell: Cascadia Seaweed has launched a Nature-based Solutions Division that offers seaweed-related consulting services for First Nations, non-profit organizations, government agencies and international partners, such as our participation in the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Marine Ecosystems (COSME) project in the Coast Province of Kenya.

In that project, Cascadia is a technical advisor to share Canadian innovation to improve crop yields and produce products that are regenerative, sustainable, and profitable in the face of shifting pressures.

WT: There has also been a collaboration in creating a series of films.

Mitchell: Our VP of Operations was recently featured in a film series produced by World WWF - US. The purpose of the series was to showcase how seaweed farming is growing around the world. The interesting thing about these films is how these three seaweed farmers are united in their goals of contributing to ocean health and climate action.

WT: Congratulations on the successful first closing of Series A funding round!

Mitchell: Equally important is the quality of investors Cascadia welcomes in this round, including WWF Impact (the impact investing arm of World Wildlife Fund US), Vere Ventures, Potato Impact Partners, VertueLab Climate Impact Fund, Realize Impact, the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia, Norfolk Green Ventures and other valued investors.

With this funding, Cascadia Seaweed will build a commercial-scale seaweed biorefinery on the West Coast, increase biomass production, and expand sales and marketing of its liquid kelp extracts, biostimulants, and livestock products.

WT: Moving forward...what's next?

Mitchell: We are well known within the global seaweed space. We are on a mission to be recognized globally as a reliable producer of large quantities of high-quality seaweed-derived agricultural products. 

The seaweed biostimulant market has historically relied on one species harvested from wild stocks. Due to fixed quotas, increasing demand, and limited applications of this species, supply has been capped, and prices have escalated.

As with land plants, our oceans are impacted by the effects of climate change. Naturally occurring kelp species provide essential benefits to marine ecosystems, and as demand for seaweed-derived agricultural products grows the risk to those natural populations increases. By choosing products derived from cultivated kelp, we can contribute to the protection of these natural ecosystems and support ocean farmers too. 

As a certified B Corp and registered Benefit Company in British Columbia, we are committed to building a profitable and scalable business that is also good for people and the planet.

Related:
CASCADIA SEAWEED: THE OCEAN SAVING THE OCEAN

CASCADIA SEAWEED’S NEW TECHNOLOGY STRENGTHENS FOOD SECURITY & SAFETY