OUR STORY
Family-Owned Business with a Passion for the Ocean
Islander Kelp farms seaweed on ropes in the clear deep waters off the Rathlin Island shore, where the wild Atlantic and the clean cold waters of the Irish sea meet to produce the perfect growing conditions. The McFaul family have been fishing and gathering kelp for generations on the island. Our kelp ropes reach down into the unusually strong currents around Rathlin, and the strength of these tides keeps the temperature at a constant and provides the nutrients for our kelp to flourish.
This, along with our bespoke cultivation methods, allows Islander Rathlin Kelp to be grown 365 days a year.
“Kelp is fussy, the conditions have to be just right for it to grow. We grow our kelp at a point where the Atlantic meets the Irish sea. The currents are very strong here, so it takes good equipment and experience to harvest. Kelp farming is a difficult profession to master, but here on Rathlin Island, we’re leading the way.”
The seedlings for our kelp are sourced locally and grown in our very own bespoke nursery, before being transplanted out to our farm site.
We grow mainly three native varieties of kelp: sugar kelp (Saccharina Latissima), finger kelp (Laminaria Digitata) and winged kelp (Alaria Esculenta). We use these to create a range of frozen and ambient artisan products.
Our products are of exceptional quality, and a growing collective of world class chefs use Rathlin kelp to add balance, texture and original flavour in their kitchens. Farmed kelp is sustainable and needs no fertilizer - it is good for the ocean, good to eat - and good for you.
OUR VISION
Those who prefer to eat natural, chemical free food, love the fact that our kelp is preserved using an entirely natural process to keep it fresh.
Islander isn’t just a brand, it’s a philosophy. It’s our ambition to spread our knowledge throughout other coastal communities – to give other islands the chance to grow and process kelp using our techniques. It’s our ambition to create an Islander Kelp innovation network that will help to keep islands anywhere in the world, alive and thriving.
Our Team.
Our
Kelp Nursery
The Islander Kelp nursery has been designed to replicate the essential environmental conditions (water temperature, light, salinity, nutrient levels) found in the native habitat for kelp growth in British and Irish waters. The nursery has three key elements for success: 1) supporting the growth of kelp from spores through sporophytes, 2) replicating the environmental conditions found naturally, and 3) controlling contamination.
Our seeded lines are covered in healthy kelp growth and, when grown out, can provide up to 16kgs per meter of clean optimum quality kelp plants.
The isolation of zoospores (i.e. “spores”) is the first step in establishing cultures in the nursery. The spores are contained in the reproductive sori that are present in quantity at particular times of the year. These reproductive sori mature primarily in response to temperature and light. Islander Kelp collect the sori from their own farmed kelp, as well as the wild, and puts emphasis on utilizing kelp native to the area in which it is to be farmed.
For inquiries about purchasing seeded lines please contact us.
The Farm
Our farm is located at Killeany Bay, approximately a mile west of Rathlin's main harbor. Once our seeded lines are ready, we take them there and secure them to longlines anchored in the seabed. The ropes are positioned around three meters beneath the water's surface, allowing them to receive ample sunlight. The tide shifts every three hours, providing fresh nutrients with each change. Our kelp grows and matures at the farm until harvest time, with regular inspections along the way.
