Regenerative ocean farming non-profit GreenWave puts the cost of starting a 20-acre kelp farm at between $20,000 (£15,800) and $50,000 (£39,500), with a mature operation capable of producing 130,000 pounds of kelp and 250,000 bivalves a year and netting more than $100,000 (£79,000). Suzie Flores has been running that model in Connecticut since 2018. She sells out every season.
Flores is founder and owner of Stonington Kelp Company, now the largest commercial seaweed farm in Connecticut and in its eighth consecutive harvest season. Speaking to the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce in a March 2025 interview, she said the farm runs at roughly 50% of its licensed growing capacity and that chefs at two consecutive James Beard Best Overall Chef-winning kitchens are regular buyers. Supply, not demand, is the constraint.
