Episode 28
Kove Ocean Foods: Sustainable Snacks with Purpose
Desirée Dupuis is a social entrepreneur and Founder of Kove Ocean Foods, creator of delicious snacks made with the world's most sustainable crop, seaweed.
In this episode, Avril speaks with Desirée Dupuis, a social entrepreneur and founder of Kove Ocean Foods, a seaweed based food brand. Desirée shares her passion for living a purposeful life and making a positive impact in the world.
Seaweed is at the heart of Kove Ocean Foods. Since it grows in the ocean, there is no demand on land, unlike traditional plant or animal agriculture that most of the world rely on. Seaweed is packed with many nutrients and antioxidants which makes it the perfect thing to eat when moving towards more ethical ways of consuming food.
When Desirée launched the brand in 2020, it was a challenge getting it off the ground. Unlike its popularity in Asia, seaweed as a food product was not very well known in North America. Many companies did not know how to work with it. Turning it into delicious snacks was an uphill battle, but Kove Ocean Foods now offer protein puffs and seasoning shakers to consumers.
There are many environmental benefits of seaweed. One of its many benefits is the fact that seaweed draws carbon out of the environment. Desirée shares that if 9% of the world’s oceans are covered in seaweed farms, it could draw out all of the carbon and greenhouse gasses that the world emits into the atmosphere each year. Seaweed is truly an impressive and powerful plant.
Take a listen and learn more!!
Episode Highlights:
2:22 The origin story of Kove Ocean Foods
9:17 The challenges and opportunities in the seaweed industry
15:04 The partnership between seaweed farms and the local indigenous community
21:08 Desirée discusses the challenges of marketing a new product
32:25 The positive impact of advertising