SeaGrown
A seaweed farming and processing company based in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, and associated with England's first large-scale commercial seaweed farm.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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History
SeaGrown was founded in 2018 by Wave Crookes and Laura Robinson in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. Crookes had previously worked as a Royal Navy diver and in other maritime occupations, while Robinson was a professor of geochemistry. The founders began on a very small scale, collecting seaweed by hand around Scarborough during low tide. This initial activity provided a practical basis for testing how locally sourced seaweed could be processed and sold. In its early phase, SeaGrown developed seaweed for food, pet products, bath products and restaurant use. The business then moved toward a larger cultivation model based on offshore farming. In 2019, it received grant support to grow seaweed in a designated area off Scarborough. The proposed farm covered approximately 25 acres, or 10 hectares, and was located around three miles offshore in the North Sea at a depth of approximately 115 feet. The site was described as being outside shipping lanes. Its planned infrastructure consisted of buoys and markers connected to submerged lines on which seaweed could grow. The offshore project was presented as England's first large-scale commercial seaweed farm. SeaGrown's founders argued that the Scarborough coast was well suited to cultivation because seaweed occurs naturally and abundantly in the area. The venture was also framed as an attempt to establish a British seaweed-farming industry, which the cited material described as less developed than comparable activity in the Netherlands, Spain and Scandinavia. Public and enterprise support helped finance the company's planned expansion. The reported support included a £500,000 grant from the Coastal Communities Fund and £25,000 from the Business Enterprise Fund. These funds were associated with the purchase of improved processing equipment and plans to expand employment beyond the original two-person team. The company discussed growth first to nine employees and later to between 23 and 25, although the available material does not confirm whether those targets were achieved. SeaGrown's supply chain was designed to connect offshore production with Scarborough-based processing. Harvested seaweed was to be brought ashore through Scarborough Harbour and transported to the company's processing plant in the town. This arrangement linked marine cultivation to local handling, processing and onward distribution rather than treating the farm as an isolated offshore operation. The company has identified both food and industrial uses for its harvest. Seaweed was reported as an input for bioplastics and food products, in addition to the earlier pet, bath and restaurant applications. In 2020, a Yorkshire spirit distiller reportedly used sugar kelp harvested off Scarborough to produce rum, illustrating the potential for SeaGrown's biomass to enter branded consumer products through partnerships. SeaGrown was recognized in 2019 when Yorkshire Life named it Producer of the Year in its Food and Drink Awards. The supplied sources do not provide a complete account of subsequent farm output, corporate ownership, financial performance, current management or present operating capacity. Accordingly, the historical record is clearer than the company's current status.
- 2020
Sugar kelp used in rum
[1]A Yorkshire-based distiller reportedly used sugar kelp harvested off Scarborough in a rum product.
- 2019
Grant support for offshore farm
[1]SeaGrown received support to develop a dedicated seaweed-growing area off Scarborough, helping move the business from shore collection toward commercial offshore cultivation.
- 2019
Yorkshire Life Producer of the Year
[1]The company was recognized as Producer of the Year at Yorkshire Life magazine's Food and Drink Awards.
- 2018
Company founded
[1]Wave Crookes and Laura Robinson established SeaGrown in Scarborough as a seaweed farming and processing business.
Products and positioning
Sustainable seaweed farming and processing with a local Scarborough supply chain, serving food, biomaterials, pet, bath and beverage applications.
Aquaculture · 2019
Cultivated seaweed
SeaGrown's core offering is seaweed cultivated in the North Sea off Scarborough. The planned farm uses submerged lines supported by buoys and markers, with harvested material brought through Scarborough Harbour for processing. The cultivation model is intended to provide a more consistent commercial source than small-scale hand collection alone.
Food ingredients · 2018
Food-grade seaweed
SeaGrown has processed seaweed for food use and restaurant applications. The available sources do not identify a complete product catalogue, named consumer brands or specific varieties beyond the reported use of sugar kelp. Food applications form part of the company's broader effort to create local markets for cultivated marine biomass.
Biomaterials
Seaweed biomass for bioplastics
The company has identified harvested seaweed as a potential input for bioplastics. The supplied sources describe this as an application area but do not specify a named material, commercial formulation, customer or production volume.
Seaweed ingredient · 2020
Sugar kelp
Sugar kelp harvested off Scarborough has been used in a Yorkshire rum-making application. This example demonstrates SeaGrown's role as a source of locally cultivated seaweed for beverage experimentation and other value-added uses.
Brand decisions
2019
Move from shore collection to offshore commercial cultivationStrategyBackground
SeaGrown began with the founders collecting seaweed by hand around Scarborough. To support larger-scale production, the company pursued a designated offshore farm site in the North Sea.
Action taken
The company developed plans for a roughly 25-acre farm using submerged growing lines, buoys and markers in waters off Scarborough.
Aftermath
The project was described as England's first large-scale commercial seaweed farm and was supported by grant funding. The supplied sources do not confirm its eventual output or current operating scale.
Reported grant support. £500,000 Coastal Communities Fund grant and £25,000 Business Enterprise Fund grant (2019)
Recent events
- 2020
Yorkshire distiller uses Scarborough sugar kelp in rum[1]
Product launch
A Yorkshire-based spirit producer reportedly made rum using sugar kelp harvested from SeaGrown's Scarborough-area operation.
- 2019
SeaGrown receives support for offshore seaweed cultivation[1]
Other
The company was reported to have received grant support allowing it to develop a dedicated seaweed-growing area off the coast of Scarborough.
- 2019
SeaGrown named Yorkshire Life Producer of the Year[1]
Other
SeaGrown was announced as Producer of the Year at Yorkshire Life magazine's annual Food and Drink Awards.
- 2018
SeaGrown established in Scarborough[1]
Other
Wave Crookes and Laura Robinson formed SeaGrown as a seaweed farming and processing venture in North Yorkshire.
Sources2 sources
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