On May 14, Cascadia Seaweed celebrated the grand opening of our new processing facility in Port Edward, BC, marking a major milestone nearly five years after the first conversations began with Metlakatla Development Corporation.
PORT EDWARD – Cascadia Seaweed announced the official opening of an advanced seaweed processing facility in Port Edward, British Columbia, marking a major milestone in the Company’s development as a vertically integrated seaweed production and biomanufacturing business.
The facility enables the scaled production of natural liquid kelp extracts for agriculture markets across North America and represents the completion of a multi-year build-out of Cascadia Seaweed’s Northern Hub.
Developed in partnership with Metlakatla Development Corporation and supported by NorthX, the National Research Council of Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Province of British Columbia, and equity partners, the facility brings together the Company’s integrated value chain.
“This facility represents a significant milestone in building a fully integrated seaweed-based agricultural inputs company in Canada,” says Michael Williamson, CEO and Co-founder of Cascadia Seaweed. “We’ve built this business step by step from cultivation through to advanced processing, overcoming the challenges of scaling within this sector. With the facility now operational, our focus shifts toward expanding market adoption and growing our presence in agriculture markets, starting with North America.”
The Port Edward facility uses green processing technology, free of chemicals, which extracts the maximum amount of naturally occurring bioactive content for the biostimulant.
“Port Edward has long taken pride in being a ‘clean, neat, and green’ community, and this new biorefinery reflects that vision,” says Mayor Knut Bjorndal of the District of Port Edward. “It brings innovative, environmentally responsible industry into our region and strengthens Port Edward’s role as an industrial partner, while supporting the values and quality of life our residents care deeply about.”
Cascadia Seaweed expects to process hundreds of wet tonnes of brown seaweed, known as kelp, through the facility this year.
Beyond expanded production capacity, the facility represents an important investment in Northern British Columbia’s emerging blue economy, contributing to regional economic development while strengthening Canada’s position in the production of nature-based agricultural inputs. As agriculture globally seeks more efficient and sustainable approaches to crop production, biostimulants derived from cultivated kelp are increasingly seen as a key component of regenerative farming systems.
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