Cold Current Kelp is committed to research and innovation to advance the emerging kelp aquaculture industry in Maine and the United States. We believe in collaborating with partners in projects and research, educating people on the many environmental benefits of growing seaweed, and engaging with our community to help spread our excitement about the incredible potential of regeneratively grown kelp. Learn more about our work below.
USDA Value Added Producer Grant
Cold Current Kelp was awarded a Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) from the USDA Rural Development program. CCK will use the funding to develop business and marketing plans and to explore ways to increase production.
USDA SBIR Phase I (Small Business Innovation Research) Grant
Cold Current Kelp was awarded $175,000 to support research and development for a novel non-toxic kelp extraction method. The project will be an important step toward producing natural, non-toxic ingredients with quantifiable bioactive compounds that can be used by the company to create effective skincare products.
NOAA Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant
Cold Current Kelp was honored to be awarded a highly competitive NOAA Saltonstall-Kennedy $300,000 federal grant. Partnering with the University of New Hampshire, the company will grow commercially valuable species of seaweed using sugar kelp farming equipment.
Environmental Film Festival
Inga was honored to represent Cold Current Kelp by participating in a panel discussing ocean farming at the Seacoast Environmental Film Festival in Kittery, Maine.
Traip Academy Expanded Learning
Traip Academy, a public high school in Kittery, Maine, offers its students an Expanded Learning Opportunity program to study Kittery’s maritime heritage and to work with community members who combat climate change.
Inga and Krista met with Traip students to discuss Maine’s kelp aquaculture industry and kelp’s many potential uses.Traip students will also be involved in Cold Current Kelp’s NOAA-funded research.
Brown University Environmental Studies Course
Krista spent a semester working with a group of students from Brown University.As part of their environmental studies course, Krista led students in researching the process of bringing a kelp-based skincare product to market.