What began as a silly handshake deal at a wedding to buy a marina to live on and work on the property turned into an entirely new life path for Suzie Flores and Jay Douglas, owners of Stonington Kelp Co. Originally from New Jersey, they worked what Suzie describes as normal jobs as a publisher and a combat photographer in the Marine Corps.

“We weren’t super pumped about what we did, so we took a moment to reflect on everything,” says Suzie. Jay enjoyed being on the water, so he took a job managing a marina over the summer and learned the trade before pitching the idea of moving up north. After purchasing a marina in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, Jay rebuilt the marina and their home, structured the farm and began exploring potential industries.

“It was really powerful seeing Jay change the trajectory of his life, and it gave me the confidence to try something new,” reflects Suzie. As a part of her soul-searching, as Suzie says, she earned an environmental science degree from Oregon State University where she learned about the ecological impact of seaweed on the oceans.

She enjoyed kelp as a healthy food and was aware of its nutritional health benefits and climate mitigation impacts. “Born in the eighties, everyone wanted to be a marine biologist,” says Suzie with a laugh. Looking at ways to leverage their property with access to the water and the opportunity to keep a boat in the water yearround, they decided to grow the fast-growing seaweed.

Through their research, Suzie connected with Charles Yarish, Ph.D., from The University of Connecticut, who is credited with developing the global and North American regenerative seaweed aquaculture industries and is the chief scientist for GreenWave, a regenerative ocean farming hub. Yarish developed a marketable farming method that was simple, safe and did not negatively impact the environment or local communities’ use of the waterway. Connecticut was the first state in the country to have a permitted seaweed farm (Thimble Island Ocean Farm in 2020).

GreenWave helped Suzie complete a heavily regulated permitting process, as kelp farms are regulated the same way as farmed aquacultures like clam and oyster farms. From navigating how to create consumer package products to dealing with the kelp’s shelf life, Suzie tried new methods and grew their farm and business over 10 years.

Now completing their ninth harvest season, Suzie works to raise awareness of the sustainability of growing native sugar kelp and bring it into local businesses.

The farming season runs through the winter months, during which Suzie puts her gear in the water in November and retrieves it in June. During the growing season, Suzie drops an anchor onto the ocean floor around 30 feet deep with a line coming off the anchor attached to a mooring ball floating along the surface of the water. She sets up two, 100 feet apart, running a series of tight horizontal lines about four feet below the mooring ball to grow the seaweed.

“When you’re planting, you aren’t growing the seaweed from the start,” explains Suzie. “You’re out planting already established seaweed blades onto the farm that are growing on top of these kite strings.” The horizontal line sits in the ocean, allowing the kelp blades to grow on it. The blades start at just one millimeter long, and when they’re harvested six months later, they’re approximately three meters long, growing rapidly.

Suzie refers to seaweed as a sponge that needs to be grown in clean water. Kelp improves the environment because as it grows, it pulls carbon to build the cells it needs to develop tissue and absorbs nitrogen from the water, leaving it cleaner than it started.

Not only does it positively impact the environment, but it’s great for consumption, being rich in minerals and nutrients not found in terrestrial-grown vegetables. Kelp is a great source of iodine, calcium, iron, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids, which support thyroid health and anemia and helps with diabetes.

Chef David Standridge of The Shipwright’s Daughter and Mystic Fish Camp in Mystic, Connecticut, strives to incorporate kelp into his sustainable menus for his guests. He first discovered Stonington Kelp Co. on social media before opening The Shipwright’s Daughter and soon became committed to finding ways to make the most of it on their menus.

“Sugar kelp is a super crop,” explains David. “It’s zero input, packed with nutrients, and plays an important role in fighting climate change, so it’s important for us to support and use it as much as possible.” He also notes that it’s one of the few vegetables available locally in early spring, before local farms begin producing crops.

During the kelp season, Suzie brings David fresh kelp almost weekly, which is used fresh and also preserved to be able to feature it on the menu year-round. “It appears throughout our menus, from vinaigrettes for salads to the center of plate presentations, where it’s the star of the show,” says David. “It’s incredibly versatile, and rather than overpowering other ingredients, it enhances other seafood beautifully and brings out a true essence of the sea on the plate.”

Although some might see kelp as “scary” to eat, it has a savory, salty, umami flavor, adding a delicious yet unique item to the plates. The Shipwright’s Daughter and Stonington Kelp Co. collaborate every year on a Kelp Dinner that is one of the restaurant’s most popular events.

“I think everybody should get excited about using ingredients that are local, available and sustainable,” says Suzie. “The chefs who work with it understand the concept and are excited about finding new ways to make cooking with kelp palatable and accessible to people.

There are various ways to learn more about kelp, from Stonington Kelp Co.’s kelp cooking classes, boat tours, to a full restaurant Kelp Week.

Visit www.stoningtonkelpco.com to find recipes and pre-order kelp.