Maine Coast Sea Vegetables – Local Vendor Feature

Shep Erhart, credit Maine Coast Sea Vegetables

In 1971, Shep and Linnette Erhart foraged their very first edible sea vegetables while picnicking at Schoodic Point. That same evening, they used the alaria fronds they had gathered to make a delicious pot of miso and seaweed soup. The two had recently moved to Maine as part of the back-to-the-land movement and were practicing macrobiotics at the time. They had found themselves spending a lot on imported seaweed from Asia and, after learning that there are no poisonous large macroalgae or sea veg in the Northeast, decided to begin foraging and experimenting with the preparation and use of Maine coast seaweeds on their own. They found that many of these seaweeds could be effortlessly substituted for the Asian species called for in traditional macrobiotic recipes, such as miso soup. Right in their own coastal backyard, the couple discovered a number of delicious, local, and free alternatives to the imported seaweed that had been making up a good portion of their diets. In the beginning, Shep and Linette started drying their foraged dulse, kelp, sea lettuce, laver, and alaria, to share the bounty with their friends. They soon began marketing dried seaweed in small paper bags with labels hand-drawn by Linette, with a majority of sales made through word of mouth. That first year, they distributed around 200lbs of dried seaweed, and Maine Coast Sea Vegetables (MCSV) was born.

In 1975, they attended the United States first World Vegetarian Congress meeting at the University of Maine Orono campus, where they quickly sold out—it was at this time that they realized there was demand for their wild foraged seaweeds far beyond Maine. Their farmhouse soon became too small for drying and packaging the increased volume of seaweed (plus, they had just welcomed a baby, Seraphina) so in 1975-76, they moved their production facility into the barn on their property and hired their first employees to help with harvesting and processing. With many additions and renovations, this barn remained the company’s home for the next 17 years. Right around the time the business expanded into the barn, it also secured its first wholesale account: Erewhon, a macrobiotics health food store that was then located in Boston, began buying sea vegetables regularly and by the case. These orders required adhering to strict requirements and consistency with package quantities, quality control, labeling, and inventory management.

In the early 1980s, Bread and Circus (now Whole Foods), a natural foods and distributor in Massachusetts, also began placing regular orders with MCSV. Bread and Circus was the company’s first regional distributor, and word spread beyond New England about the little seaweed company from Maine. Shep began attending food industry trade shows in Denver, LA and Baltimore, where he met national distributors. By the end of the eighties, Maine Coast Sea Vegetables had become a nationally recognized and trusted brand. In 1988, People’s Magazine published an article titled “Shepard Erhart, Seaweed Entrepreneur, Gets By With A Little Kelp From His Friends,” which continues to be a slogan embraced by the company and is still occasionally offered to customers on shirts, bumper stickers, and other gear. That same year, the New York Times also released an article titled “The Noble Sea Vegetables: Algae with Image Problems” highlighting Maine Coast Sea Vegetables and its products. The “image problems” in the title refers to how, for many people, seaweed is just the slimy green stuff that clings to them when they swim in the ocean.

In 1989, MCSV released their first version of the Kelp Krunch snack. Small pieces of sugar kelp leaf were dipped in maple syrup, coated in sesame seeds, warmed and hardened to a crunch, and sold in bulk by the pound. This evolved into single portion round containers, and eventually into the wildly popular energy bars that they sell to this day.

Rockweed and bladderwrack growing in downeast Maine (Photo by Kelly Hinkle)

In 1992, Maine Coast Sea Vegetables became the first US seaweed company to receive an organic certification. It took over a year of hard work for Shep and other members of the organic community (Tom Forster and Joel Woellner) to develop “Wild Crop Seaweed Standards” that could be accepted by the new USDA National Organic Program of 1990. Harvest grounds are carefully chosen to be in compliance with certification requirements to ensure the highest standards of quality, purity, and long-term sustainability are met. This means that each harvester monitors their beds for sustainability and keeps the freshly picked plants free of possible contaminants throughout harvest, transport, drying and packing. Harvesters are randomly inspected for compliance, and our processing plant in Hancock Maine is as well. Quality and safety are further ensured through a rigorous testing program for water borne contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, radioactivity, petroleum residues, bacteria, and yeasts and molds.

It’s true that compared to land plants, seaweed harvesters have little control over the growing conditions of wild marine plants, but harvesters do have countless choices about how, when, where, and how much is gathered, as well as how the seaweeds are transported, dried, stored and packaged. The National Organic Program (NOP) Standards address all these areas to help ensure sustainability and give clear and uniform direction to all responsible parties for harvesting and handling these gifts from the sea on their way to consumer’s dinner tables.

In 1993, Shep and Linette purchased a building owned by a nearby salmon farm and renovated it for their business. This location would serve as the company’s home for the next 22 years. Located in Franklin, it was less than 5 miles from their original barn, but had nearly five times the amount of space.

The 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan raised worldwide alarm about the danger of radiation in seafood. It’s long been recognized that eating sea vegetables helps protect the body against harmful radiation, and the accident led to increased demand for sea vegetables sourced from the US East coast—about as far away from the accident in Japan as possible. MCSV began testing its sea vegetables for harmful radiation to reassure customers, and a temporary 1-pound limit had to be placed on orders, due to the increased demand.

In 2015, MCSV moved out of its Franklin home and into a new, modern and much larger processing facility and warehouse located in the nearby town of Hancock. Their new location was the culmination of several years of dreaming and planning by everyone working for the company. Large open rooms, natural woodwork, cathedral ceilings, and plenty of windows and skylights for natural lighting make it a welcoming and enjoyable work environment. The facility is smoke-free and the only scents allowed are the aroma of dried seaweed and the delicious odor of Kelp Krunch bars on bake days. The entire facility is certified organic by OCIA, and the spacious warehouse lets us store each years’ harvest in an orderly fashion.

In 2017, Maine Coast Sea Vegetables became an employee-owned company with 100% ownership invested in an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). An ESOP is a retirement plan that holds shares of the business for employees. Unlike a 401k, the ESOP requires no out-of-pocket contribution; the number of shares an employee owns is determined by the length of time they work for the company. The value of those shares is determined by the health of the business. This empowers everyone working at Maine Coast Sea Vegetables to become a shareholder owner with a stake in success. As a result, Maine Coast Sea Vegetables is highly invested in their employees. The company was founded on trust and the formation of long-term relationships with its customers, partners and suppliers, and the environment where the seaweed itself grows. MCSV continues to nurture those relationships through a slow-growth philosophy that prioritizes sustainable harvesting, processing, and distribution over short term gain. Also in 2017, Shep Erhart stepped down as president and partially retired. Ownership of MCSV was transferred entirely to its employees through the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and Seraphina Erhart assumed responsibility as General Manager.

Today, a team of over twenty people at Maine Coast Sea Vegetables sort, pack and ship several hundred thousand pounds of product to customers all across the United States and Canada every year. Education and outreach remains a priority for the company as a way to ensure the future of the seaweed industry in Maine. Educational workshops and school events are offered to adults and children alike to promote learning and familiaring people with seaweed as a resource in the food system and its value in our fisheries. The plant is located less than 30 miles from Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, which is known as “the gateway to Downeast Maine.” As one travels downeast from Hancock (which is actually north and east) the landscape only becomes wilder and more remote—the perfect environment for foraging and growing the world’s best sea vegetables. Tourists and locals alike are encouraged to check out the education and retail space on site, although it’s always best to call ahead.

You can find a wide variety of Maine Coast Sea Vegetable products at the Blue Hill Co-op in our grocery and bulk section and can always place orders for other MCSV products through our Special Order form or directly from the company on their website.

Here are the products we carry in-store:

1oz Original Sesame Kelp Krunch Bar

1oz Ginger Sesame Kelp Krunch Bar

4oz Sea Lettuce Flakes

1.5oz Kelp Granules

1.5oz Dulse Granules

4oz Kelp Flakes

1oz Triple Blend Flakes

2oz Alaria Leaf Wakame Seaweed

1oz Laver Leaf Nori Seaweed

2oz Dulse Whole Leaf

2oz Applewood Smoked Dulse Seaweed