Discover MAINE SEAWEED PRODUCTS

BY EMILY BAER

The famous French oceanographer Jaques Cousteau once said, “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” This is certainly true for me and thousands of others around the world, including an increasing number of thalassophiles (those who love being near the sea) who are discovering the wild, beautiful, and delicious world of seaweed.

Dulse, a seaweed that is common in the North Atlantic, has long been celebrated as a nutrient-dense staple in maritime cultures ranging from Canada to Iceland to Ireland, and other places along the way. For centuries, it has served an important role in both food and medicine. As aquaculture in Maine has continued to grow and diversify over the past twenty or so years, so too has the interest in dulse. With its deep reddish-purple hue and long, leathery fronds, it is now a favorite among culinary connoisseurs and sustainability advocates.

Dulse & Rugosa, a small woman-owned company in Gouldsboro, has turned an appreciation for dulse’s many life-giving properties into a nature-inspired business and lifestyle. I first learned of their products from a friend and longtime fan who swears by the Sweet Island Face Cleanser and accompanying serum. She convinced me to order the three-piece Comfort Bundle and I too was soon ready for a deep dive into the world of seaweed skincare.

When my husband and I set out on a weekend trip to Lubec, I was determined to visit their shop in person. As we made our way across the Schoodic Peninsula, I scoured the roadside businesses for the gardens, chickens, and colorful flags that announce your approach. We almost missed it. As beautiful as the property is, the shop is tiny. If you do pass it by, it would be well worth your time to swing back around for a visit.

Housed inside a classic Maine shed, the shop is small but mighty.

Rosa Rugosa, the second plant referenced in their name, is more commonly known as the rugosa rose shrub. A hardy, fragrant rose bush that is bountiful along

Maine’s coast, it is also a key ingredient in many of the company’s specialty products. When you enter the mintgreen painted shop, you’ll smell notes of rose immediate- ly. Inside, their soaps, serums, scrubs, and bath bombs are artfully arranged alongside an astonishing variety of seaweed-based products. Beyond beauty products, you’ll find seaweed tea, spice blends, hot sauces, and salt substitutes. There’s also a charming array of sustainable home products, toys, and accessories. Whether you’re a full-on seaweed evangelist or just getting ready to dip your toe in the water, there is something of interest for everyone. My husband, who is far more adventurous than I, picked out the Sailor's Cure-All tea, a caffeine-free blend of ginger, turmeric, and bladderwrack seaweed.

It was a cold summer night when we returned from our trip Downeast, and we were exhausted from a weekend of exploring. As we unpacked and settled in, my husband offered a cup of tea. Soon, the deep, intriguing aroma of his newly acquired tea filled our kitchen. Seaweed, not surprisingly, is an acquired taste, but it is a strangely magical experience to get to know the sea in this whole new way. If you let it, seaweed can cast a spell of its own.

...CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 addressing seafood workforce needs so that together SMCC and WCCC can prepare future generations of Mainers for entry-level positions in the seafood sector, paving pathways for lifelong in-demand, high-wage careers. The collaboration will bring together the MAIC, MCCS, WCCC, SMCC along with the SEA Maine, the Downeast Institute, Maine Aquaculture Association, Maine Lobster Dealers Association, Maine 4-H, Sunrise County Economic Council, Maine Sea Grant, and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute to develop world class training and education programs for the next generation of Maine’s workforce in the seafood sector.

Together Maine’s Community Colleges are building bridges between institutions and developing career pathways between the non-credit work at SMCC and the academic credited work at WCCC to provide vocational entry points to the seafood industry. This includes the development of co-branded microcredentials that allow students to highlight the industry-relevant knowledge and skills they have garnered. In the aquaculture sector in particular, WCCC and SMCC have worked to design and deliver training programs that align with the Maine Aquaculture Occupational Standards developed by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and Maine Aquaculture Association to ensure that aquaculture workforce training remains relevant to Maine’s rapidly evolving and growing industry.

Aligning the training needs of employers with career aspirations of employees is not easy. Developing new training programs that capture these needs and deliver the right balance of accessibility with hands-on, field-based learning is also not easy. But WCCC and SMCC are embracing the challenges of training a skilled and ready workforce for the next generation of Maine’s seafood.