Joost Wouters

Joost spent a year and a half immersing himself in the world of seaweed – and his fascination only grew. He discovered its vast potential for human health, the environment, and industry: seaweed doesn’t need farmland or freshwater, requires no fertilisers or pesticides, and purifies the ocean by absorbing CO₂. “It amazed me to realise that, hidden beneath the surface and without any input from us, thousands of species thrive – rich in nutrients like fibres, proteins, sugars, minerals, antioxidants and alginates. The more I learned, the more astonished I became. Seaweed can be used in food – for humans and animals – as a supplement, a medicine, in cosmetics, as an energy source, or even as an alternative to plastic. And on top of that: seaweed is the oldest living organism on this planet.”

“Our mission is to make seaweed visible again – and to apply it at scale in the food industry”, Joost explains. “The food sector is highly fragmented, which makes innovation complex. But seaweed can absolutely have a big impact. That’s why we focus on cultivating and processing seaweed into products like seaweed burgers and shrimp croquettes.”

There’s a paradox in the company’s approach: “We want to make seaweed both visible and invisible”, Joost says. “Consumers still aren’t quite ready for seaweed, so we need to be creative. We sell our products to businesses, restaurants, and retailers. They need to understand the story, because they’re looking for sustainable solutions. We keep stressing how seaweed contributes to a healthier world in multiple ways – and communicating that story is one of the reasons we started The Seaweed Company. I believe that in a few years, more people will be open to it.”

The Seaweed Company has gained significant momentum in recent years. It won the Sustainable Food Awards (2023), was ranked 31st in the global Food Tech 500 (2024), and was recognised by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (Big Food Redesign Challenge, 2025). From the beginning, Joost and his co-founders, Edwin Sneekes and Stefan Kraan, aimed to do more than just generate ecological returns. “We wanted The Seaweed Company to serve as a model for how businesses can operate. Everything we do should generate a positive ecological, social, and financial impact. From day one, we’ve been steward-owned – no hierarchy, no bosses, and everyone decides when they take their time off. We didn’t want the company to revolve around its founders, but create a culture of shared responsibility.”

Seven years on, Joost is stepping back from his role as ‘SeaEO’. “I’m good at starting companies. The Seaweed Company is now in a phase that requires operational focus – and that calls for a different skill set”, he says. But his love of seaweed hasn’t faded. These days, he’s working together with his son Ruben to create a seaweed-based cosmetics line. “In the meantime, I’m slowly figuring out what makes me happy. I’m not actively looking – these things tend to come naturally. When your compass is clear, you’ll know when something is right.”

Together with The Green Times and Impact Hub Amsterdam, we’re creating a series of stories about regenerative entrepreneurs who show how we can move towards an ecology economy – a system that puts life at its centre. Read the previous story in the series about Loop Biotech, and subscribe to our newsletter to receive the next one in your inbox.