Umaro Foods -- Continuous, High-Yield Kelp Production

Case Study Overview

After receiving an award from the Department of Energy to design and build offshore seaweed farms, Beth Zotter, CEO of Umaro Foods, realized they would need the help of an ocean engineering firm. Knowing their project would require a completely new structure that could grow seaweed while withstanding the forces of offshore waves and currents, the Umaro Foods team assembled a team of experts, including Kelson Marine CEO Toby Dewhurst. “The design that the team produced was completely novel, and Kelson Marine was involved from the beginning, helping us understand as we cycled through design options what would work, and what would not,” Beth says. 

“Through design changes, time-sensitive construction schedules, and risk assessments based on storm probabilities, Kelson Marine had a major hand in making our project a success story that eventually garnered the attention of the Secretary of Energy, who featured the project as a standout achievement in her tour of DOE awardees in May. Our project requires a deep understanding of ocean dynamics, the behavior of physical structures in a dynamic ocean environment, combined with the ability to model new and innovative materials and designs, and Kelson Marine brings that to the team. They are professional, friendly, forward-thinking, and insightful. They are a valuable asset to have on our project team.”