Commercializing Kelp: Marketing and Growth Strategies for the Crop of the Future

Abstract

Domestic kelp as a cultivated crop and as a consumer good in the US faces a variety of hurdles as it scales to meet the demands of the US market. Atlantic Sea Farms (ASF) has led the way in establishing kelp in the US and has been successful in bringing innovative consumer goods products made from kelp to the market despite these challenges. I embarked on this project to identify potential barriers to kelp adoption and scaling, and to create strategies to overcome those barriers. The studies that make up this project explored: considerations and recommendations for a new product launch and go-to-market strategy, a line-extension marketing strategy, and also analyzed policy and other geographic factors relevant to future kelp cultivation expansion potential in Maine and Massachusetts.

When developing the go-to-market strategy I explored market size and growth for the respective product categories, potential retail/restaurant/CPG partnerships, and a tiered rollout strategy. In the line-extension study, I explored targeting, differentiation, and engagement strategies to successfully introduce the new product variations to the market. Finally, the policy section investigated how state government, local ecological conditions, and existing aquaculture infrastructure and policy could potentially limit kelp expansion in Massachusetts.