About Us

The Ocean Harvest company was founded in 1981. We’ve been supplying ethically-sourced, sustainably-harvested, hand-processed seaweeds for over thirty years!

Our Pacific Ocean is a majestic “office” and we are honored to work there.

On harvest days we rise before dawn, dress warmly and make our way down to the rocky outcroppings along the coast. There, the rhythm of the tides is our time clock; hours amongst the bejeweled tidal pools are carefully meted out by Neptune.

We are careful in our harvest techniques lest we imbalance this precious environment and cut the algae so as to leave the reproductive function of the plants intact. Working on the ocean awakens an umbilical connection – sea lions bob up in the surf, while cormorants, gulls and pelicans fish the rough and crystal clear Pacific.

It is always lovely when the sun rises, particularly when the full moon is setting as well; soon after we head inland to sun dry the algae. Everything but the nori (too sandy) is left unrinsed to let the salt-water minerals act as a natural preservative.

Each frond is laid out to be turned every hour until dry. This completed, we hurry home to sleep before the next day of harvest begins. We hope this story enriches your sense of the nature of these plants and our work with them.

Where to find our seaweeds

Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco (CA)
Corners of the Mouth in Mendocino (CA)
Arena Market & Cafe in Pt. Arena (CA)
Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op in Ukiah (CA)
Mariposa Market in Willits (CA)
Lake County Organics Plus in Lake County (CA)
Surf Market in Gualala (CA)
First Alternative Natural Foods Co-op in Corvallis (OR)
Port Townsend Food Co-op in Port Townsend (WA)
Concord Co-op in New London (NH)

Restaurants that serve our seaweeds

Bamboo Sushi in Portland (OR), San Ramon (CA), Phoenix (AZ), and Denver (CO) “The world’s first certified sustainable sushi restaurant.”
Strange Town in Milwaukee (WI) “Plant-based bistro.”
Thai Spices Natural Restaurant in Sedona (AZ) “Best Sedona Restaurant awardee for 15 years.”
Rodney Strong Vineyards in Healdsburg (CA) “The Rodney Strong Kitchen.”
Cafe Wylde in Everett (WA) “Vegan café, adventurous menu.”
Cafe One in Ft. Bragg (CA) “The organic choice on the Mendocino coast.”