Climate Entrepreneurs Archives

Fun fact: "Gim" means seaweed in Korean. And "gim" is something that Annie Chun remembers well from her childhood in Seoul, near South Korea's west coast. Growing up, she often ate foods from the ocean — including the seaweed that her mother would roast on the stovetop with a touch of sesame oil. It was delicious, with fresh flavor and umami characteristics, and Chun thought of it often, long after she moved to California as an adult. "That memory stayed with me, and years later, it inspired the idea for Gimme Seaweed – taking something that I loved as a child and reimagining it for a new audience," says Chun, a longtime food entrepreneur who has worked in restaurants and the food industry for over 30 years. (She sold her previous company, Asian food brand Annie Chun's, for $6 million in 2009 to CJ Corp., a big Korean food manufacturer.) In 2012, she and her husband, Steve, who had been developing seaweed-based product ideas, "recognized an opportunity" to make the traditional Korean side dish more mainstream in the U.S. – and launched Gimme Seaweed (a play on "gim") as an organic, non-GMO, sustainable brand. Seaweed is considered a regenerative crop, a nutrient dense "superfood" that can absorb carbon dioxide and make the ocean cleaner. In recent years, the industry has exploded in popularity, and startups are not just making food with seaweed (like imitation bacon) but also turning the eco-friendly plant into biofuels and plastic alternatives. Chun's company, which is USDA-certified, has partnered with rePurpose Global to reduce plastic pollution, as well as the Sea Turtle Conservancy and the Climate Collaborative. Its seaweed snacks are sold in grocery stores and large retailers like Target, Walmart and Costco. Below, Chun answered our questions about where she sources her seaweed, what keeps her motivated, and how she plans to make seaweed a regular part of American diets. (Answers, provided via email, have been lightly edited for length and clarity). In the late 1970s, you immigrated to San Francisco, where your family owned a Korean restaurant. Were you surprised that seaweed wasn't widely eaten in the U.S.? Seaweed consumption has evolved in the United States, and it seemed to gain some popularity around the time that the famous 1980 miniseries "Shōgun" was screened here. Sushi also grew immensely during this period, and seaweed is a core part of sushi, so seaweed is widely eaten, just not in the form that we typically eat in Korea. It was a bit surprising how unfamiliar roasted seaweed was to Americans. For many Americans, seaweed is what they see washed up on the beach, so there is a real “yuck factor” that we have had to overcome. At Gimme Seaweed, we realized that we needed to make seaweed feel exciting, modern and relevant, particularly for younger, more adventurous snackers. It's amazing that children have been early adopters. We focus on bold, unexpected flavors like chili lime or our newest, Korean BBQ. We found that when you meet people where they are, with flavor and fun, they’re far more open to trying something new. When you and your husband founded Gimme Seaweed some 13 years ago, was it difficult to source your product? In 2012, there were no USDA-organic seaweed snacks, so we had to do extensive work to convince the farmers to convert to organic farming and get both the Korean and U.S. governments to approve our organic seaweed. We wanted to create a product that honored the integrity of the ocean and represented seaweed in a way that felt authentic, clean and meaningful. That’s why we chose to source our red porphyra (nori) seaweed from South Korea, where the minerals along the coastal waters create ideal growing conditions – producing seaweed that’s both nutrient-dense and incredibly flavorful. South Korea also offers the infrastructure and generational expertise needed to ensure quality and consistency. The farmers we work with have been harvesting seaweed for decades using regenerative methods that we were passionate about preserving. Can you tell us about those regenerative methods? Seaweed requires no fresh water, soil, fertilizers or pesticides to grow – just sunlight and the ocean. That makes it a true zero-input food. Unlike land-based agriculture, which can be resource-intensive, seaweed actually improves the environment it grows in. Our nori is grown on nets suspended in the water and supported by buoys, rotated regularly to expose it to sunlight and fresh air – an organic way to preserve the ocean ecosystem without chemical additives. Seaweed farming has also been shown to boost oxygen production and absorb carbon dioxide, contributing to the fight against climate change. Our team of scientists and researchers in Korea carefully monitor each step to ensure the highest organic standards. We believe seaweed is not only a superfood for people, but also a super solution for the planet – and we’re proud to lead the way in responsible, organic seaweed farming. A NASA image of seaward farms in South Korea. The dark squares are fields of seaweed. (Credit: NASA, Flickr) What do you want people to know about seaweed? It's the most nutrient-dense vegetable on the planet – period. The fact the children love it is especially encouraging, so that they can integrate savory green vegetables in their diets. This should portend to a healthier future for the American public. What has been the biggest challenge? Getting more people – especially in the U.S. – to try seaweed and see just how versatile and nutrient-dense it really is. In many Asian cultures, it’s a staple, but for a lot of Americans, it’s still unfamiliar or even a little intimidating. Changing that perception takes time, especially when you’re introducing a food that doesn’t naturally fit into traditional Western eating habits. At Gimme, we’ve focused on education, sampling, and partnering with influencers to show how delicious seaweed can be. Bringing a traditionally Asian food into the American mainstream has been a journey, but it’s also been incredibly rewarding. What keeps you motivated to do this work? It really comes down to two things. First, it’s the opportunity to help transform the way people – especially children – eat in this country. So much of the American diet revolves around processed foods, sugar and animal products, and we see seaweed as a simple, delicious way to bring more balance and nutrition into everyday eating. Second, it’s the chance to do that in a way that’s truly sustainable. The future of food lies in the ocean, but we have to protect it if we want it to keep sustaining us. I feel incredibly fortunate to work with partners around the world to bring a product to market that supports healthier lifestyles while also respecting and preserving marine ecosystems. Knowing we’re making a positive impact on both people’s health and the planet – that’s what drives me every day. ◼️

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