Courtney Boyd Myers—a.k.a. “CBM”—is the founder of AKUA, a brand on a mission to become a household name for sustainable, seagreen-based foods. Fast Company named her as one of their most creative people in business in 2018. In April 2019, AKUA launched its first product “Kelp Jerky,” a 100% vegan and high-protein snack made with kelp, mushrooms, and superfoods.
Richard Branson, who has tried it, said, “I was prepared to come up with a nice response after eating this, but actually, it’s really rather delightful. It’s incredibly delicious.”
Their product which comes in three flavours is all made from ocean-famed kelp, which, according to AKUA, “is one of the most healing and healthy forms of food on the planet.”
CBM first dipped her toes in the world of seaweed back in 2016 when she became an adviser to GreenWave, a nonprofit that supports the regenerative ocean farming industry by encouraging underemployed fishermen to farm kelp sustainably, some of which she uses in AKUA.
Ocean-farmed kelp, which is a zero-input crop, requires no fresh-water, fertilizer, or dry land to grow. “We never wild-harvest kelp, which is detrimental to our ocean’s ecosystems,” says AKUA.
Its kelp is sourced from a network of New England ocean farms, which function as storm-surge protectors and shoreline ecosystems for 150+ species.
CBM is also a global community ambassador to Summit, an invite-only events company that hosts networking and inspirational gatherings for entrepreneurs, creatives, and other industry leaders. Over her five years with the organisation, she has helped to create events like Summit at Sea, Summit LA and Summit Tulum, which have hosted luminaries like Jeff Bezos, Malcolm Gladwell, Brene Brown, and Jessica Alba. She is also an investor in Unframed Ice Cream, a Cape Town-based vegan dessert company with its sights set on international expansion.
Tags: algae, health food, kelp, ocean
Latest Tweets
Tweets by TwitterDev