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Women-owned small business finds niche amid Maine's rapidly-growing kelp farming industry

Cold Current Kelp is a women-owned business that has found ways to take advantage of seaweed's properties to use in skincare.

KITTERY, Maine — A women-owned business in Kittery has found their niche to use kelp in skincare amid the industry's rapid growth in Maine. 

Cold Current Kelp was founded in 2021 by co-owners Inga Potter and Krista Rosen after they wanted to dip their toes into the kelp farming business.  

"The more that I learned about kelp, the more excited that I got because it has so much potential in so many different ways," Potter said. 

After starting their small kelp farm near the New Hampshire border, the two decided to test ways in which the seaweed could be used in skincare. 

"We originally started to make our own product because we thought it would be fun to use ourselves," Rosen explained. 

Soon after, things took off. 

Credit: NEWS CENTER Maine

After farming the kelp, the two transport the marine plant down the street to a nearby greenhouse where they are rinsed, dried, and combined into a facial oil. 

"The bioactive compounds include things like polysaccharides that are known to disrupt the breakdown of collagen and elastin," Potter explained. "There's different pigments and molecules to work to really preserve and protect your skin." 

Credit: NEWS CENTER Maine

The two have also recently received a $175,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand their work, where they will experiment with different ways of growing kelp to find its maximum potential. 

"It's been fun to kind of explore that project and really seize that opportunity, and see it grow," Potter added. 

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