Kelpman Ocean Blends
Kelpman Ocean Blends: Wild Atlantic Plant Protein
Kelpman Ocean blends is a local business that produces amazing organic and plant-based protein powders. Kelpman was born out of love and appreciation for mother nature. Owner, Dave McGarrell, founded the business for all the right reasons: Dave spent many of his years between work and surfing - not a bad lifestyle if you ask us (many would agree!).
However, Dave felt a tad guilty. He describes the human “pursuit of paradise” and how it can often lead to the devastation of biodiversity, culture and traditions. Looking to take a step back from this pursuit, Dave decided the right thing to do would be to go back to college and dive into the world of Environmental Science and Coastal Management. It was during this time that Dave first heard about Macroalgae (more commonly known to us as seaweed). While researching the plant it was obvious to Dave that this was something special. For many of us, seaweed is annoying and gooey. Seaweed was once associated with poverty and desperate times but now thanks to the likes of Dave and the Team at Kelpman, we are beginning to appreciate this amazing plant.
Native Irish Plants
Macroalgae is a local and a keystone species here in Ireland. There are three species of macroalgae used in Kelpman's FLOW+PERFORM blends:
- the Winged Kelp also known as Atlantic Wakame (Alaria esculenta)
- Nori or Sleabhac in Irish (Porphyra sp.)
- and finally Dulse or Dillisk (Palmaria palmata)
These species are extremely easy to grow and other species of sea flora and fauna thrive within the safe haven that they provide. Seaweeds are the trees of the ocean, they facilitate and encourage life: “Think of it as an architect of an underwater forest in which marine flora and fauna coexist within their very own ecosystem.”
This gooey seaplant can’t be good for human consumption? Can it?
Yes, it is. The nutritional profile found in these amazing plants is twice that of today’s proclaimed ‘Superfoods’.
A superfood sounds good but surely it will have the same nasty overfarming effects as other superfoods?
Sustainable Farming:
For millennia generations have harvested the photosynthetic algae native to our shores. These species have nourished our culture and fed our livestock, replenished the nutrients within our soils. We now even look to this miracle macroalgae for climate change solutions. Has there ever existed such a dynamic species? To add to this, these plants are grown without artificial fertilizers and pesticides. Once deployed, the growth of this species actually cleans the surrounding environment through the absorption of inorganic wastes such as ammonia and nitrates.
“So how can we harvest this valuable resource without causing widespread environmental damage? Well, the answer to this question has to be tackled from two completely different perspectives. That of Wild harvest or farmed. When we talk about Wild harvest we refer to the removal of natural stocks of Seaweed from within their present habitat. This is the oldest form of Seaweed harvesting that has been carried out within Irish shores for over four thousand years. Nowadays, these rights are maintained by a select number of families that have inherited this entitlement via generations of their forefathers. The very nature of this activity is crucially governed by the strictest of guidelines that outline ecological surveying and continual monitoring activities to define best harvesting practices. Certain endemic species that are yet to be commercially farmed are only available on a seasonal basis through wild harvesting methods.”
Carbon absorption
As mentioned above, macroalgae are superb for their given eco-systems. Macroalgae has a super-fast growth rate, hence why Kelp is so effective at removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Coastal ecosystems have in fact become so effective at doing this, that they can sequester 20 times more carbon per acre than terrestrial forests. Hence, Kelp is the most effective natural way of absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere.
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