Cascadia Seaweed Forms New Partnerships with Klahoose Shellfish Limited Partnership
How is all of this new plant-based, alternative protein being produced in British Columbia? By a growing company like Cascadia Seaweed partnering with First Nations in coastal communities to cultivate seaweed, that’s how!
In June of last year, a company was founded with a mission to become one of the largest cultivators of seaweed in North America. Even with the unpredictable corona curveball, Cascadia Seaweed continues to deliver on its objectives.
With a goal of scaling up the cultivation of seaweed to service the domestic demand for sustainable plant-based human food alternatives, Cascadia’s success grows from building mutually beneficial agreements with First Nation communities. Cascadia Seaweed discovered a natural partnership to build the business while leveraging the knowledge, wisdom and workforce of BC’s Indigineous communities while providing skills training, employment, business development and stability. Since installing and seeding 6,500 metres of lines on two 1 hectare farms last fall, the team has developed agreements and spoken with a number of Coastal communities interested in becoming partners in the climate positive, seaweed sector.
Late in April, a memorandum of understanding was signed by both Cascadia Seaweed and Bruno Pereira, General Manager of
Qathen Xwegus Magement Corporation
(the business arm of the Klahoose First Nation) to explore opportunities for kelp farming within existing BC shellfish tenures in Squirrel Cove.
Pereira attended the Seeding Summit hosted by Cascadia Seaweed in Nanaimo early in March with Paul Muskee, the Manager of Klahoose Shellfish, where he was able to express the interest of Qathen Xwegus Magement Corporation (QXMC) in kelp farming. Other than that interaction, the agreement to move forward has been conducted virtually.
“Kelp farming is an environmentally friendly and sustainable food source that shows great promise and would naturally supplement our shellfish aquaculture” says Pereira. “Finding the right partner to expand is a critical component of our success and we hope this MOU will lead us to a final project proposal. Cascadia Seaweed has demonstrated their commitment to the kelp farming industry and Klahoose Shellfish Ltd. Partnership is excited to collaborate with Cascadia to grow this industry in Klahoose First Nation’s pristine territory” Pereira says confidently.
“The first action item will be to install test lines this fall” says Mike Williamson, Founding Partner and CEO of Cascadia Seaweed. “Concurrently we are developing sales channels in the human food industry for the harvest in 2021” adds Williamson. “We are very pleased to be working with the Klahoose First Nation, and we look forward to the contributions we can make to their community as well as the food space of a sustainable, alternative protein” he says.
