Based in Faial Island, seaExpert applies scientific knowledge to distributing Azorean seaweed in the archipelago and beyond.

The term “superfood” has invaded labels and conversations about nutrition in recent years. They arrive worldwide as fruit and vegetables, packaged or preserved, and occupy a prominent place on supermarket shelves. What if we told you there were other superheroines, a little more discreet and hesitant to reach the supermarkets, closer than you think? They live in the Azorean Sea, but they’re neither fish nor shellfish and sometimes they’re glued to the rocks or even touch us lightly on summer afternoons.

They are still a great enigma to many, but the potential of algae has become increasingly important in recent decades. It has inspired entrepreneurs to invest in their extraction and application in various industries.

In the case of seaExpert, the inspiration came from a request that “fell from the sky”, in the words of Artur Oliveira, the company’s commercial director. It was in 2013, ten years after Henrique Ramos founded seaExpert in Faial, that he was contacted about a very specific algae which, at the time, was in short supply in the marine areas of the countries where it was usually extracted but which existed in the Azores. Although his professional experience as a consultant in fisheries and aquatic resources didn’t include algae, he accepted the challenge, so a new branch of the company was born.



“It all started very timidly, with just two or three species,” says Artur Oliveira, hastening to point out that they have never stopped growing since then. Today, the company already has two catalogs with a dozen species and multiple applications, extending to various industries with little expression in Portugal, such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. Artur even estimates that 99.8% of the algae on the website is for export. There is, however, another aspect to their work, which, although smaller in stock, is much bigger in terms of media exposure despite not being part of the catalogs they promote.

“Seaweed is so rich in everything that it’s considered a superfood,” says Artur Oliveira. “They are a source of vitamins, minerals, and iodine, which a large part of the population lacks. One of the main sources of iodine is certain types of fish, and seaweed can be an important complement,” says Artur Oliveira, adding that it can also be a way of reducing salt in a wide variety of dishes, as it naturally gives them a ‘touch of the sea,’ as he describes it.

With so many advantages, consumers might be tempted to look for them on the shelves of department stores, next to the other food superheroes. However, they wouldn’t be able to find them unless they visited one of the Azorean restaurants that seaExpert supplies.

“We’re very bad businessmen,” confesses Artur Oliveira with a smile, quoting the company’s CEO. “We don’t aim for maximum profit, we do this for pleasure. Of course we’re a company, we need revenue and profit, but we don’t look at maximization, because those who do can’t look at sustainability with the same eyes. That is, in fact, our first focus,” he stresses.

With ocean conservation as his main focus, Artur Oliveira says he welcomes the recent commitment to expand marine protected areas in the Azores and calls for the targets to be met, something he argues must be enforced, but above all through common sense. “I feel that there is more and more global awareness, but there is still a lot to be done,” he says.



He explains that being in the Azores brings challenges, as it is a small environment. Still, also great advantages, as it makes industries with more demanding standards in terms of environmental responsibility choose them, knowing that everything is done scientifically and with respect for nature. Regarding food algae, Artur Oliveira is committed to keeping them close as a matter of principle.

“Our aim is to make it easier to take the algae from here to the locals, something that doesn’t usually happen with the best fish and meat. Everyone wants to export because it’s easier; it sells everything, but we don’t think like that.”

Artur Oliveira assumes that there is still much to discover about algae’s potential and reveals seaExpert’s plans to continue investing in it. “I’d say that the next big step for us would be to play a leading role in the aquaculture sector, especially in the Azores,” he predicts. This could be a way of making up for the lack of food, something that he hopes could be a key factor in solving the problem of global hunger.

“Algae will be an essential part of saving the world,” he says optimistically, revealing a power that would turn them into something more than superfood but superheroes of a greater cause.

From Marca Açores in Açoriano Oriental-Paula Gouveia, director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.