About Kelp blue

We harvest cultivated kelp to produce ingredients for agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and textiles.

Our team learn more

To restore our planet to equilibrium, or even to abundance, we need to come together to find cost-effective, long term and environmentally sustainable solutions. At Kelp Blue, we believe we’ve found one such solution: growing and managing large-scale Giant Kelp forests.

The process

The Hatchery

The sorus tissue, the fertile material that is found on mature kelp blades, is taken to our hatchery. A safe and controlled environment where we nurture the kelp from near microscopic gametophytes, through to sporophytes - the multicellular leaf-like stage. Once big enough, the sporophytes are attached to a special wire and made ready to be planted in the ocean.

outplanting

At the out-planting stage, the twine is wrapped around our farm structures. Our farm uses lines and ropes onto which the holdfast - the root-like foot of the kelp - can securily attach. Our team of divers will secure the twine to the structures and regularly monitor the progress of the growing kelp.

Engineering

The farms are submerged in the ocean. In the deeper water we have installed structures that are anchored at around 15 metres below the surface – the perfect depth to maximise access to nutrients and light while keeping the young kelp out of the most violent movement of the waves.

marine monitoring

Our dedicated marine monitoring team regularly check on the kelp and keep track of the biodiversity observed. They use a range of different methods including methods like acoustics, visual observations, water sample analysis, and environmental DNA. We also regularly measure water quality and analyze dissolved organic carbon in the lab.

harvesting

Once the kelp grows to maturity and starts forming a canopy, some of the biomass is harvested to turn into sustainable alternatives for industries such as agriculture and packaging. Currently the kelp is harvested by hand, but we are working on a fully-automated solar powered emission-free harvester which would allow us to significantly scale up our operations.

processing

Our kelp is carefully processed to extract its bioactive compounds. Through innovative techniques, we concentrate these compounds into potent biostimulants that increase crop yield, improve soil health, reduce chemical dependency, and improve abiotic stress stress tolerance.

quality control

R&D

The R&D team valorizes all components of the kelp. Our new products include a bio-based leather alternative, as well as blended fabrics and coatings. We extract alginates and fucoidan, which can be used in cosmetics, nutraceuticals and as input materials for bio packaging or as gelling agents.

how we do it

Innovation is at the heart of what we do. It isn’t just about “tech”, innovation is actually very human— it takes heart, it takes soul; from everyone involved. Because big innovation has big impact on the planet and people.

Meet the team

We are so proud of our hard-working Kelpies, who work tirelessly to make our oceans a little better every day.

Petenen Nankela

Junior Project Engineer

Raised in the small mining town called Rosh Pinah, he is a proud “Ndonga” who holds a B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). He loves traveling, outdoor activities, and is always up for new adventures. He’s mostly driven by his ambition to gain as much knowledge and experience as possible.

Jordan McKay

Factory Operator

Born and raised in Luderitz. Working background Electrical Assistant at a fishing factory and fishing vessels with a level 3 in Electrical. Electronics caught his attention whilst working in the electrical field and he would like to further his studies in Electronics and Electrical. In Jordan’s spare time, he likes to listen to music, podcasts, and cook Curry Chicken (being his signature dish) and of course being the Braai Master when it comes to Braai. He also plays rugby for the local team.

Jonathan Kennedy

Dive Supervisor

From Lüderitz, a proud graduate from SEADOG Commercial Diving School. Worked for Bresler De Beer in ship husbandry and vessel docking. Diving experience with propeller cleaning, hull inspection, UWILD inspection and Centrifugal Pump usage used in dredging for salvage work. Crayfishing and rugby are his past times.

Protasius Mutjida

Water Quality and Hydrographic Lead

Protasius holds an honours degree in chemistry and Geology and completed a Masters degree in Chemistry at the University of Namibia. He’s worked as a science teacher for three years while also working in an environmental consultancy. He’s a local pastor in Luderitz, is passionate about research and building others up especially the youth.

Samuel Boamah

Hydrodynamic Engineer

Samuel, originally from Ghana, is a strong advocate for the Blue Economy, promoting ocean literacy, and global climate change. He prides himself in contributing to research in hydrodynamics of offshore seaweed farms and offshore structures. Samuel is a skilled musician, great piano player, drummer, and bass guitar player. When he's not making music, we find him in the gym.

Jacintha Kartyoa

R&D Specialist

Meet Jacintha “Latifah” Kartyoa, our vibrant R&D Specialist Assistant. Jacintha holds an Honors degree in Biochemistry from the University of Namibia. She is passionate about everything science-related, loves socializing, is dedicated to fitness, and her passion for painting brings a unique and dynamic energy to the team. With her creativity and enthusiasm, she contributes to the innovative spirit that defines Kelp Blue’s work culture.

Caroline Slootweg

Co-founder Kelp Blue, CEO Kelp Blue Biotech

A start-up, change management and digital transformation specialist, Caroline has worked at Unilever, WPP, in mar-tech and agri-tech. Her purity of purpose expresses itself as clarity, simplicity and speed. Caroline sailed half-way around the world and across the Pacific Ocean in the Clipper Round the World yacht race and is also a keen forager and traveller.

Kathryn Saducas

New Product Development and Partnerships

Kathryn brings a wealth of experience, having worked with startups, scaleups and large corporates to drive innovation and growth. She is passionate about people and the planet and has recently earned her Masters in Sustainability. Before joining Kelp Blue, Kathryn co-founded a sustainable fashion tech startup and in her spare time she mentors budding entrepreneurs to help them bring their ideas to life. Having grown up by the beach, Kathryn loves swimming, diving and anything to do with the ocean.

Join the team See everyone

vision 2029

By 2029, our goal is to remove over 1 million tons of CO2 annually through 70,000 hectares of Giant Kelp farms located 30-100 km offshore from Lüderitz. These farms benefit from the Benguela Current, which is twice as productive as the Chile current and nine times more productive than the California current. This results in a 10%-20% increase in regional fish stocks and biodiversity, creating over 400 local jobs and indirectly supporting 800-1,000 more.

Careers

We’re not a ‘business as usual’ scale-up. We value originality and creativity, expect a healthy dose of common sense, that you are a problem solver by nature and that you’re comfortable getting on with tasks in an unstructured environment.

If you feel like you’re a good fit, please get in touch. You might be what we are looking for and we don’t even know it.

We’re always on the look out for those who want to join us on our journey to leave the planet in a better place. Send us an email with your resume to newkelpies@kelp.blue

Transform Your Farm with StimBlue+

Ready to boost your yields and enhance soil health? Contact our team of agronomists to learn how StimBlue+ can benefit your farm. Our team is ready to answer all your questions, comments, and requests.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.