Wick-based seaweed snack brand SHORE bags new investment with six-figure sum

A Wick-based company has successfully secured a six-figure investment to progress production of its seaweed harvesting as well as expanding and creating new ranges of products.

Since SHORE launched its 100 per cent sustainable seaweed snack range a year ago, the Wick-based food firm’s super-grain chips have become the biggest selling non-potato bagged snack in existing regional supermarket listings and they’ve recently gained new listings with Morrisons, Holland and Barrett and Booths.

Its new Smoky BBQ chip flavour joins the existing three later this month and its Sweet Sriracha chips also appears in the Craft Gin Club’s November subscription box..

This latest equity fundraising round will enable the sustainable food firm to further expand the distribution of its products across UK retail and bring more innovative products to market under its breakthrough brand SHORE The Scottish Seaweed Co, starting with a duo of ambient plant-based Ramen Broths made with the same seaweed they sustainably hand harvest along the Scottish coastline for their chips.

SHORE’s fragrant Miso Ramen and Chilli Ramen products will roll out initially on Amazon and independents in 500ml fully recyclable Tetra packs later this month (priced around £3) with more listings to follow later this year.

Parent company New Wave Foods will use part of the equity funding to drive forward its ambitious sustainable production of Scottish seaweed, including farming at their site near Oban.

SHORE joint managing director Keith Paterson says: “We are delighted how well our SHORE Chips are performing in the better-for-you snacking market. We see a substantial opportunity to replicate what the brand has achieved in Scotland across the whole UK, with a HFSS compliant snack that actually tastes great and has a proven leading rate of sale.

“We are also excited to be launching a delicious new plant-based Ramen range, inspired by our own hand-harvested seaweed. It’s a product range that tested fantastically with our consumers and furthers our mission to create an edible seaweed industry of scale, that is 100 per cent sustainable, good for the coastal environment and beneficial for our local rural communities."

Already multi-award winners, SHORE also scooped another trophy at the recent Highlands and Islands Food and Drinks Awards 2002, taking Best Food: Retail for its seaweed chips and commended for its marketing strategy and beach-cleaning programme across Scotland to heighten awareness of keeping our shores plastic and litter-free.

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