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The couple behind a local seaweed fertiliser business are looking for someone to continue their business after cost of living challenges saw them swap Jersey for Mallorca – where they're hoping to start an organic farming venture.
Francesca Stammers and Loftur Loftsson launched The Jersey Seaweed Co. in July 2021.
The local couple – who are both in their late 20s – started making fertiliser out of seaweed and launched their business with the hope of convincing farmers to ditch chemicals for a natural option.
They created concentrate fertiliser from the seaweed collected from L’Etacq and bottle it up in recycled wine bottles, making it a “completely closed-loop on-island product”.
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Francesca explained that the "positivity" when they started made The Jersey Seaweed Co. the "easiest business to launch ever".
"We had so many people behind us and sold out of the fertiliser loads of time," she said.
Loftur added that the couple had reached a "really exciting point in the business", with interest from abroad as well as from local farmers wanting more commercial opportunities.
Pictured: Some of the benefits of the fertiliser are listed on its bottle.
However, Francesca and Loftur were both really keen to live an "organic and sustainable lifestyle", which they described as "difficult to attain in Jersey".
They said that the "insane" cost of buying a house with a garden in Jersey, or even a field, was just "too expensive" to allow them to live the lifestyle they dreamed of.
Francesca added that the waiting list to get an allotment in Jersey was two years long.
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Francesca and Loftur made the difficult decision to leave Jersey and move to Mallorca – where they could start living the lifestyle they wanted to "immediately" without having to wait to save up enough money.
Speaking from Mallorca, Francesca said that it is a "beautiful island" but admitted that "there's not as good seaweed here!"
Loftur added that it was a "real shame" that the couple had to leave The Jersey Seaweed Co. behind, adding that it had made them "deeply sad" to put the company on hold.
After spending some time getting used to their new life in Mallorca and welcoming their second child, the couple are now thinking about how they might be able to "keep The Jersey Seaweed Co. alive in any way possible".
Pictured: Loftur collecting seaweed on the beach last year.
Loftur explained that he would love to find someone based in Jersey to "get stuck in" and take over the physical aspects of the business – namely, the seaweed collecting.
He said "I've spent a lot of time thinking about the business since we moved, so I have some plans for improvements that could be made but overall it's a fun and profitable business.
"If I was young and looking for something to do in Jersey, I would hop on the opportunity!"
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Francesca added that the couple are still inundated with messages on social media about people wanting to buy the seaweed fertiliser, so she says that "the market is still there."
In fact, Francesca had to post a video update on The Jersey Seaweed Co.'s Instagram page to dispel rumours that the company had stopped trading due to seaweed collecting being illegal.
"it's definitely not illegal," laughed Francesca. "Anybody can go to the beach and collect as much seaweed as they like!"
Anyone interested in The Jersey Seaweed Co. can contact Francesca and Loftur via Instagram.
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