Seaweed pasta - I Sea Pasta
AU$15,975
of $15,000 targetyrs ago
Successful on 14th Apr 2016 at 7:30AM.
A new healthy, tasty and sustainable food supply has been discovered. Together we can bring it to Australia!
Seamore's founder mistook a unique kind of seaweed for pasta, loved the experience and decided to fool the rest of the world. I sea pasta looks like green tagliatelle but is 100% wild, handpicked seaweed from Connemara, Ireland. After a successful 'crowdharvesting' in The Netherlands last year, I sea pasta was quickly embraced by food pioneers throughout Europe. Foodies, gluten and carb-avoiders, lovers of healthy food started cooking their favorite pasta dishes with it and love their discovery. Now we can bring this magical product to Australia and we need your help to do that. If enough people join the Australian crowdharvest we can make I sea pasta available and affordable. You will be the first to enjoy the future of food and tell the story to the rest of the world. Some seaweed, we seamore.
When vacationing in Ibiza, Willem Sodderland, founder of Seamore, ordered a 'seaweed salad' in a restaurant. Willem couldn't find the seaweed on his plate and didn't believe his wife when she suggested the green tagliatelle on his plate might be 'it'. The chef had to convince him that the tagliatelle wasn't pasta at all, but seaweed. Picked from the rocks. An idea began to take shape: What if we would start eating seaweed like pasta?
Blind-tasting mania. Back in The Netherlands, Willem located this unique species: Himanthalia Elongata. With difficulty, he had a few boxes shipped for a very hefty price, then started to cook, making up recipes as he went along. His kids tried 'I sea Bolognese' without knowing their spinach pasta was seaweed. They finished their plates and ok'd Dad's new recipe. The experiments were so successful that a new company called Seamore, and a new product called "I sea pasta", were born.
Equipped with a larger quantity of sea pasta and with the help of Willem's family the first official packs of I sea pasta were packaged by hand and shared with a much larger group of people for further tasting and to source feedback and recipes.
After this, things went really fast. A crowdfunding campaign launched in The Netherlands and Germany. Massive publicity followed. The first shops starting selling I sea pasta and the first chefs started putting it on the menu. As of March 2016, I sea pasta hit the supermarket shelves in just 9 months. More about the story at www.seamorefood.com and in the e-book below!
Seamore's founder mistook a unique kind of seaweed for pasta, loved the experience and decided to fool the rest of the world. I sea pasta looks like green tagliatelle but is 100% wild, handpicked seaweed from Connemara, Ireland. After a successful 'crowdharvesting' in The Netherlands last year, I sea pasta was quickly embraced by food pioneers throughout Europe. Foodies, gluten and carb-avoiders, lovers of healthy food started cooking their favorite pasta dishes with it and love their discovery. Now we can bring this magical product to Australia and we need your help to do that. If enough people join the Australian crowdharvest we can make I sea pasta available and affordable. You will be the first to enjoy the future of food and tell the story to the rest of the world. Some seaweed, we seamore.
When vacationing in Ibiza, Willem Sodderland, founder of Seamore, ordered a 'seaweed salad' in a restaurant. Willem couldn't find the seaweed on his plate and didn't believe his wife when she suggested the green tagliatelle on his plate might be 'it'. The chef had to convince him that the tagliatelle wasn't pasta at all, but seaweed. Picked from the rocks. An idea began to take shape: What if we would start eating seaweed like pasta?
Blind-tasting mania. Back in The Netherlands, Willem located this unique species: Himanthalia Elongata. With difficulty, he had a few boxes shipped for a very hefty price, then started to cook, making up recipes as he went along. His kids tried 'I sea Bolognese' without knowing their spinach pasta was seaweed. They finished their plates and ok'd Dad's new recipe. The experiments were so successful that a new company called Seamore, and a new product called "I sea pasta", were born.
Equipped with a larger quantity of sea pasta and with the help of Willem's family the first official packs of I sea pasta were packaged by hand and shared with a much larger group of people for further tasting and to source feedback and recipes.
After this, things went really fast. A crowdfunding campaign launched in The Netherlands and Germany. Massive publicity followed. The first shops starting selling I sea pasta and the first chefs started putting it on the menu. As of March 2016, I sea pasta hit the supermarket shelves in just 9 months. More about the story at www.seamorefood.com and in the e-book below!
Why would you eat I sea pasta?
First because it is simply very tasty. It has a neutral taste, is not slimy, has more bite than pasta and combines with pretty much anything: fish, meat, veggies (tomato!), mushrooms, cheese and spicy and/or creamy sauces. The Japanese call the taste 'umami', which translates to 'savoury'. If you have any doubts as to I sea pasta's culinary qualities, check out the recipes from the earliest adopters here and on facebook. But most of all, enjoy this cooking session with JP McMahon, an Irish Michelin Star chef who is one of our fans ; )
Seaweed is good for you. We're eating too many carbs and not enough veggies. With I sea pasta, you're switching one for the other! It's nutritional qualities compare with the best veggies from the land. But seaweed offers some amazing extras. If you replace or mix normal pasta with I sea pasta you eat no 'bad' carbs (sugar), less calories and more dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals. But the real bonus is in the iodine, iron and omega 3. On top, it's glutenfree, low calory, organic, vegan. More detail on the nutritional values below and on the website.
Seastainable! Finally, eating seaweed is better for the planet than food from land. We need no land, extra water, fertilizer or pesticides. Very sustainable. We pay close attention to the quantities that we harvest and the impact we have on the seaweed meadow. The harvesting process, the quality of seawater and the seaweed itself are very closely monitored.
Seaweed is good for you. We're eating too many carbs and not enough veggies. With I sea pasta, you're switching one for the other! It's nutritional qualities compare with the best veggies from the land. But seaweed offers some amazing extras. If you replace or mix normal pasta with I sea pasta you eat no 'bad' carbs (sugar), less calories and more dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals. But the real bonus is in the iodine, iron and omega 3. On top, it's glutenfree, low calory, organic, vegan. More detail on the nutritional values below and on the website.
Seastainable! Finally, eating seaweed is better for the planet than food from land. We need no land, extra water, fertilizer or pesticides. Very sustainable. We pay close attention to the quantities that we harvest and the impact we have on the seaweed meadow. The harvesting process, the quality of seawater and the seaweed itself are very closely monitored.
How's it made?
How is it made? Well, it is not "made", at least not by man. It is a species of seaweed called Himanthalia elongate that grows in the wild on the Atlantic coast of Europe and nowhere else. It is pure sea vegetable. The seaweed that we call I sea pasta is harvested sustainably on the West coast of Ireland. Then it is dried and packaged. Nothing more. Dried it can be kept in perfect condition for a long time.
*** Breaking News: Paleo Cafe's serving I sea pasta during crowd-harvest.
Paleo Cafe's all a round Australia will be serving I sea pasta as a "special" on their menu during March and April so that interested Foodies can "try before you buy". To find a Paleo Cafe near you, check out their website at www.paleo-cafe.com.au
How The Funds Will Be Used
Here's the good news: you're just paying for freshly picked seaweed that looks, tastes and behaves like pasta. I sea pasta! We're not using your money to pimp our Amsterdam HQ or fund expensive advertising campaigns. The reason we've embraced crowdfunding for our launch is that it enables us to drastically lower the shipping and distribution costs. Plus: if you start spreading the word to your friends and family, we'll save on marketing expense and all that added up makes it possible to bring this product to you at 50% of the normal cost. This means I sea pasta can become affordable enough to be part of your normal weekly menu. And that is our dream!
The Challenges
Well for one: I sea pasta could become too successful. Since we are currently harvesting 'in the wild' and only once a year, we could run out. Seriously. So we're trying to go fast enough but not too fast. Not easy when you're creating a new market.
Second, we're worried people will want to try this new food out before they commit their hard earned dollars to more than a plate of I sea pasta. To address this, Paleo Cafe have come on board to make small quantities of I sea pasta available on their specials menu. If you can get to a Paleo Cafe near you, they will be offering I sea pasta dishes as a "special" from mid-March 2016. Find your closest Paleo Cafe to "try before you buy" and more about them at www.paleo-cafe.com.au
Finally, there's price. Seaweed has always been a niche product with a hefty price attached. To make it affordable, we have moved seaweed from the edge to the center of the plate with the help of consumers. More demand means more supply means economies of scale means a lower price. Now we just have to make sure the 'middle men' (wholesalers, retailers) don't bring the price back up too much. So we're looking for partners that want to keep I sea pasta affordable. The more you guys & girls buy, the easier this will be!
Second, we're worried people will want to try this new food out before they commit their hard earned dollars to more than a plate of I sea pasta. To address this, Paleo Cafe have come on board to make small quantities of I sea pasta available on their specials menu. If you can get to a Paleo Cafe near you, they will be offering I sea pasta dishes as a "special" from mid-March 2016. Find your closest Paleo Cafe to "try before you buy" and more about them at www.paleo-cafe.com.au
Finally, there's price. Seaweed has always been a niche product with a hefty price attached. To make it affordable, we have moved seaweed from the edge to the center of the plate with the help of consumers. More demand means more supply means economies of scale means a lower price. Now we just have to make sure the 'middle men' (wholesalers, retailers) don't bring the price back up too much. So we're looking for partners that want to keep I sea pasta affordable. The more you guys & girls buy, the easier this will be!
Pioneer Package - 4 packs
You're one of the first to discover I sea pasta in Australia. You will receive 4 packs of I sea pasta seaweed pasta which means plenty of cooking and lots of enjoying! Includes a mini cookbook and free shipping!
12 chosen
Est. delivery is May 16
Chef's Harvest with apron
This is for the chefs. Sure, you're dying to get your hands on 4 packs of I sea pasta so you can start cooking and blowing people's culinary minds. But why not dress in style while changing the world of food? Added to the seaweed pasta is a limited edition Seamore apron which sets the tone for the new fashion season!
2 chosen / 23 available
Est. delivery is May 16
Xmas Harvest - 8 packs
Why wait until Christmas to give away great presents and surprise your friends? Get 8 packs of lovely I sea pasta and 4 mini cookbooks so you can create the ultimate giftpack.
23 chosen / 27 available
Est. delivery is May 16
Wine & dine for Foodies!
Buy a gift for a foodie friend or loved one! Reward includes 6 packs of I sea pasta, limited edition Seamore apron, 3 mini cook books and 1 bottle each of red and white organic wines valued at over $50. These beautiful sustainably produced organic wines from "Battle of Bosworth" in South Australia's McLaren Vale match perfectly with any I sea pasta dish.
8 chosen / 16 available
Est. delivery is May 16
Restaurant/shop pack
Be one of the first to serve/sell I sea pasta! Get stock for your restaurant/catering/shop/food retail business, to serve or sell to your customers! 50 packs in a box including shipping to Adelaide, Melbourne or Sydney, 25 cookbooks, consultation with Sean to discuss how to get it flying off the shelves or your plates. Discuss preparation, recipes and/or marketing of the product, your shop or restaurant. Buying this reward will also qualify you for exposure on Seamore's various media.
4 chosen / 16 available
Est. delivery is May 16
Join the 2016 Harvest!
Join the Seamore team for the 2016 harvest in Ireland. Pick your own I sea pasta straight from the rocks, visit Seamore's purpose built washing, drying & packing facility. Go diving to see the seaweed forests that float below the surface. In the evening, have dinner with Willem - founder of Seamore & original seaweirdo - served by Michelin star chef JP McMahon. This reward covers transportation in Ireland, dinners, the diving trip, 3 nights in hotels and 25 packs of I sea pasta.
1 chosen / 3 available
Est. delivery is May 16
Early Harvest - 4 packs
First in best dressed. Early to the party, early to the benefits! You not only get a discount on the packs, you're also the first to get I sea pasta and surprise your friends and family. The Early Harvest Kit includes 4 packs of I Sea Pasta (5 plates per pack) for you to cook at home, a mini cookbook and free delivery!
75 chosen / 0 available
Est. delivery is Apr 16