Swedish Seaweed: Building a regenerative seaweed future on the Swedish westcoast
2025-11-28
From left to right: Marcel Kuil, Inge van der Knaap, Laurens Hoffer and Emiel Hoffer
When four Dutch professionals put their heads together to make a meaningful contribution to the food transition, they found their new beginning in the coastal waters north of Gothenburg. This is where Swedish Seaweed was created, a young company that combines scientific curiosity, community engagement and a strong commitment to ecological regeneration. The company was founded by Emiel R. Hoffer , Marcel Kuil, Laurens Hoffer and Inge van der Knaap . Together they are building a farm that strengthens the local marine environment and opens doors to new markets and partnerships.
“We wanted to work on the future of food in a hands-on way,” Emiel explains. “After many years where our four founders gained experience in various backgrounds, like science, finance and health, we wanted to build something next to our day-jobs. Something that grows, helps to inspire others and makes a tangible difference.”
From a Dutch idea to a Swedish seaweed farm
The founders first explored possibilities along the Dutch coastline but soon discovered that the shallow and sandy seabed of the North Sea offered very few suitable locations. With Laurens already living in Sweden they began to explore opportunities there. They expected fewer administrative obstacles than in the Netherlands, but even in Sweden the permitting process took time. But the local attitude towards new sustainable initiatives was very supportive. Eventually they found an ideal near shore location.
The location of the seaweed farm of Swedish Seaweed near the shore in the north of Gotenburg.
The company was officially formed in 2021, supported by two local iniatives, Koastal AB and Innovatum Blå Bioekonomi. These partners provided valuable knowledge and network. Swedish Seaweed is built on two guiding principles: The first is that they seek active cooperation with the local community, including educators, young people and small businesses. The second is creating room for scientific research with a strong focus on regenerative cultivation of seaweed combined with oysters and mussels.
Growing local seaweed and improve ecological health of the bay
Swedish Seaweed cultivates local sugar kelp, grown from locally collected seedlings. “Regeneration is central to everything we do,” Emiel says. The team hopes their activities will help native seaweed species return and improve the ecological health of the bay. They work with universities in Borås and with Irish researchers to study ecological effects and to understand how their farm can contribute to a healthier marine environment.
Photo taken of sugar kelp of Swedish Seaweed during an inspection to their Seaweed Farm.
Sensors placed in the water collect data on temperature, salinity is measured too, currents are assessed using digital models. These insights help the team understand how the bay behaves and how they can improve their farming methods.
First harvest, strong networks and lessons learned from mother nature
The first seaweed harvest took place in May 2025. It brought valuable lessons and the confidence to continue growing. Swedish Seaweed is part of a large blue economy network coordinated by Innovatum, which brings more than forty organisations together. This network creates a culture of collaboration rather than competition. “It is not about dividing the pie,” Marcel says. “It is about making the pie larger so everyone can benefit.”
The farm is located only minutes from the coast. This saves time, reduces operational risks and avoids the very high costs associated with offshore locations. But even then, nature makes its own plans. Storm Amy tore loose one of their buoys, but the team repaired the farm in time to get the seeding for the next growing season done.
Together stronger: through collaboration you build stronger links.
Exploring a wide range of applications: from food to advanced materials
With the first harvest behind them, Swedish Seaweed is exploring different markets. They are in contact with local restaurants, a company that produces dissolvable seaweed-based packaging, a university researching bioplastics for climate neutral cars, and a sportswear company that is exploring ocean-based materials. Some biomass will be sold in bulk while the rest is used in collaborative experiments.
The team also sees potential in ecotourism. Visitors can learn about seaweed cultivation and experience the farm from up close.
Challenges and the road ahead
One of the main challenges is creating a stable and realistic business model. Scientific projects and pilots are inspiring, but the company must also build a reliable value chain. The founders want to avoid repeating mistakes from other industries where rapid industrial scaling pushed out local value. Aligned with the ideas and work of Koastal AB, they see potential for a cooperative model in Sweden where several small farms can supply biomass together while keeping production locally rooted.
What Swedish Seaweed brings to the community
By joining the European Seaweed Association, Swedish Seaweed hopes to learn from members who are further along in processing, scaling and market development. In return they offer experience with setting up a farm from the ground up, access to a Scandinavian network of growers, cooperation opportunities in scientific research and support for sourcing seaweed from the region.
Emiel summarises their vision clearly: “The industry is too young for rivalry. If we want seaweed to become a meaningful part of a sustainable future, we need to build it together.”
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