About Ocean Rainforest
We are a pioneering blue growth company located in the Faroe Islands and in California, USA. We offer a collection of seaweed products, mostly for feed, food and cosmetic producers, as well as take part in research projects with a number of different partners.
Our purpose is to improve people’s wellbeing and to make a unique contribution to our blue planet. We do this by applying science, innovation and expertise, to grow premium quality seaweed for our target customer segments.
Our Story
Ocean Rainforest was founded in 2007, based on the idea to grow seaweed in the ocean to take up CO2 and with the aim to mitigate climate change. In 2010 we got the first permit to deploy a test line in the Faroe Islands. In 2013 we began combining our knowledge of the unique ocean environment with our strong entrepreneurial spirit, to cultivate seaweed.
We started growing and harvesting the same species of wild seaweeds that were part of our ancestors’ diets over a thousand years ago because we wanted to support people and the environment.
Our inbuilt focus on research and innovation enabled us to develop world-class cultivation methods - making us Europe's leading seaweed cultivator and a pioneer in our industry.
Our team shares the same values of passion, teamwork and pioneering, and through a diverse set of skills and years of combined experience, we continue to explore the potential of this versatile sea plant to meet growing market demand.
We are committed to running a lean and innovative company, with energy and integrity.
Our Team
Ólavur Gregersen
CEO, BA (Hons) MSc
Olavur is our CEO, co-founder and a major shareholder in the company since 2012. He has more than 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur and international consultant as well as being a non-executive Director in several innovative companies and projects.
Urd Grandorf Bak
Chief Research Officer Atlantic, PhD.
Urd is our Chief Research Officer in the Atlantic and leads our research and innovation projects. She is an expert in environmental biology and geography and holds a PhD in macroalgae cultivation. The doctorate was awarded by the National Food Institute at Danish Technological University, and the thesis was made in collaboration with Ocean Rainforest.
Our Board
Ólavur Ellefsen
Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors
Olavur Ellefsen is a serial entrepreneur, and has founded and managed a string of ICT companies, including a number of successful exits. He is one of the co-founders of Ocean Rainforest, and has been on the board since its inception in 2008. He is also Chairman of the University of the Faroe Islands. Olavur holds a MSc. degree in Business Administration and Computer Science from Copenhagen Business School.
Marc von Keitz
Director of the Board
Marc is a director at the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, advancing transformational climate solutions. Before joining Grantham, Marc launched and managed the MARINER macroalgae program at ARPA-E in the US Department of Energy. He also spent many years as an entrepreneur and R&D manager in biotechnology. Marc studied biology and chemical engineering at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and INSA Toulouse and holds a MSc from Stanford University and a PhD from the University of Minnesota, both in environmental engineering.
Our Locations
Faroe Islands
In 2017 Ocean Rainforest purchased a 620 m2 processing plant in Kaldbak. The building has a capacity for cleaning, packaging, freezing, drying and fermentation. Furthermore, there is capacity for cold and dry storage. A hatchery for seaweed seedlings and a laboratory is also established at the facility.
Ocean Rainforest in the Faroe Islands also maintains over 150.000m of seeded lines from which all of our seaweed is harvested. The cultivation takes place in three locations in the Faroe Islands: AA01 Barmur, A02 Funningsfjørður, AA03 Gøtuvík.
Read more Ocean Rainforest in the Faroe Islands by clicking Learn More below
California, USA
In January 2020, Ocean Rainforest, Inc. — a U.S. subsidiary of Ocean Rainforest, Sp/F — opened its doors in Santa Barbara, California. Ocean Rainforest is the Primary Investigator for the MacroSystems contract, which is funded by the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency — Energy (ARPA-E).
Ocean Rainforest will lead the MacroSystems team in demonstrating the economic feasibility of commercial scale seaweed farming in the Southern California Bight. The California team is also deeply committed to engaging the local community in our scientific research and business marketing efforts so as to support the long-term sustainability and economic vitality of the region.
