Know Your Kelp Harvester: Dafne Romero

We’re thrilled to announce that Skipper Otto is adding kelp to our selection of delicious seafood products! Kelp is a great complementary addition to our collection, and sea veggies are so good for you. We’re so excited to provide our members with sustainably sourced kelp from Haida Gwaii.

We’re even happier to report that we’re working with an amazing kelp harvester, Dafne Romero. What’s so special about Dafne is that her values completely align with those here at Skipper Otto, and hearing about all the hard work and research she’s put into making her product sustainable really is music to our ears.

Dafne was kind enough to write to us a little bit about her passion for kelp harvesting and sustainability. We knew she completely understood our motto of “eating with the ecosystem” when she said, “I define my food ethics by working hard to deepen my connection with nature and I constantly learn how to balance and coexist with ocean biodiversity without over-exploitation." Yes, it sounds like Dafne and Skipper Otto are certainly kindred spirits!

Dafne’s approach to kelp harvesting is well-researched and thoughtful. She harvests her product by hand and chooses to collect less than 10% of kelp beds in order to leave a healthy and sustainable marine canopy. After harvest, the wakame and kombu blades are gently dried to maintain the most nutrients for her dehydrated kelp flakes. She also flash-freezes giant kelp blades, so we're able to offer fresh kelp to members too!

Dafne loves that kelp is such a superfood and believes nutrition is an important part of her relationship with food, telling us,

“I always knew being well-fed with powerful foods would give me intelligence, strength and pleasure.”

We were fascinated to know more about how she got into kelp harvesting, especially since Dafne didn’t grow up kelp-harvesting. Here’s what Dafne had to say:

"I didn’t grow up living on the Westcoast shores of Haida Gwaii although I was an avid Mexican forager of wild foods since I was nine years old. After traveling the globe and crossing Canada, I finally found a home in Haida Gwaii. I started harvesting kelp from the wild shores and spend countless hours reading about seaweed. I contacted various kelp experts for guidance to learn everything about kelp. My inspiration grew so much that I decided to create a business that was responsible and genuinely respectful towards the natural resources of Haida Gwaii–an environmentally friendly company that allows me to share my passion for kelp and it’s benefits for humans, animals and the earth.”

We love how Dafne combines her passion for preserving ocean biodiversity with her love of harvesting wild foods. Dafne now takes her enthusiasm and message of sustainability wherever she goes, whether it’s at the schools she works with, the culinary demonstrations she conducts, or the food festivals, trade shows and various farmers markets she attends.

We’re so grateful that she’s sharing her passion and Canadian sustainable seafood with Skipper Otto members, and we can’t wait for you to give kelp a try–it’s such a fantastic addition to soups, salads, and even brownies. Yes, you heard that right, brownies. Stay tuned for our upcoming blogs on kelp brownies and other kelp treats!