/04-kelp-jerky-beyond-the-shoreline_pieshell_infographic.jpg "Kelp Jerky - Beyond the Shoreline/PieShell")
Sustainable Kelp Jerky is Coming Soon
Looking for a healthy snack? This startup is here to lend you a kelping hand.
Image: Beyond the Shoreline/PieShell
While some are looking to creepy-crawly land creatures to save the planet, others are taking more of a deep dive. Not a figurative dive; a literal one. Beyond the Shoreline, a snack-oriented startup, is pulling kelp out of the ocean and turning it into a tasty treat that everyone can get on board with: kelp jerky.
Beyond the Shoreline’s products were unveiled at June’s Fancy Food Show in New York City, and the company has since raised over $10,000 on the food funding website PieShell for their first shipment of local (Connecticut and Maine) kelp, as well as for kitchen equipment and sustainable packaging. Using the scraps from sugar kelp production and the waste stems from shiitake and crimini mushrooms, Beyond the Shoreline will make three different types of jerky, including Sea Salt, BBQ (with paprika, smoke and pepper) and High Thai’d (garlic, lime and pepper). Each will come in 1.5-ounce packages, which will be priced at $3.49 a pop. The products are slated to be available in January 2018.
Kelp has its proponents—like Beyond the Shoreline’s co-founder Boyd Myers, who sees the sea vegetable as part of what will become a multi-billion dollar industry—yet it also has its detractors, who worry that the taste and texture won’t catch on, or worry that the nutritive content—notably iodine—could be deleterious to human health if not accounted for. Either way, there is little doubt that seaweeds of all sorts are beneficial to the planet’s health. “It’s called the bamboo of the sea because every year it actually yields exponential returns for the farmers,” Myers explained to Fast Company. In addition to providing high yields, seaweed acts as a filtration system, pulling carbon dioxide and nitrogen from polluted waters.
Not convinced yet? Sir Richard Branson has had some nice things to say about the product, calling it “delightful,” and “incredibly delicious.” Or maybe their Instagram posts about otters will do the trick. Adorable.
/04-kelp-jerky-packaging-beyond-the-shoreline_infographic.jpg "Packaging - Beyond the Shoreline")
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