Cascadia Seaweed prepares to open Port Edward biorefinery as company expands northern B.C. operations

A B.C. company betting on seaweed as a future tool for agriculture is preparing to open a new biorefinery near Prince Rupert, marking another step in the commercialization of seaweed-based farm products on the province’s north coast.

Cascadia Seaweed says its new facility in Port Edward will process locally grown and harvested kelp into a liquid agricultural product known as a biostimulant. The company says these products are designed to help crops use nutrients more efficiently, reduce input needs and better withstand stress such as drought. Cascadia describes its business as cultivating local kelp species in partnership with coastal First Nations and manufacturing liquid biostimulants for commercial crop producers.

Seaweed seen as a natural agricultural input

The company says the waters off northern British Columbia are especially well suited to seaweed cultivation because of their nutrient-rich conditions.

That gives Cascadia access to the raw material it needs for products it markets as a more natural way to support plant growth and soil health. According to the company’s public materials, its biostimulants are intended to improve nutrient uptake and help crops adapt to environmental stress.

Cascadia has also previously said it is developing seaweed-derived products not only for agriculture, but as part of a broader strategy tied to climate resilience and food security.

Port Edward location offers shipping advantages

The Port Edward site is expected to create a mix of full-time, part-time and contract work, particularly during planting and harvest periods.

The company has said the location offers several practical advantages. Port Edward sits close to Prince Rupert’s major shipping infrastructure and also has rail connections that can help move products into the United States, which remains a key market for Cascadia’s agricultural products. The company has publicly indicated that much of its product is sold into markets such as California and the U.S. Midwest.

The facility itself is being built in a structure that was already equipped for fish processing, a factor the company says helped make the conversion into a seaweed processing operation more feasible.

Part of a broader growth push

Cascadia Seaweed began on Vancouver Island in 2019 and has since expanded north as it works to scale up seaweed farming and processing capacity.

Public-facing company and investor materials show the Port Edward project is part of a larger commercialization effort focused on large-scale biostimulant and agrifeed products. Those materials also describe the company as having raised capital and grant support to expand its cultivation and processing footprint in British Columbia.

If the Port Edward biorefinery opens on schedule, it would give the company a larger production base in northern B.C. as it tries to turn seaweed into a more mainstream input for modern agriculture.