Evaluate Marketability and Production Protocols for Kelp Based Wine and Spirits

Though there is extensive literature on grape wine production/marketing in addition to producing/marketing grain spirits, there is almost no information on kelp wine/spirit production and no marketing studies. Due to this, the optimum time from harvest to use, best yeasts, additives, sterility methods, fermentation, stabilization, and bottling are all unknown. Even the market for these wines/spirits is unknown, including the best way to market the products. By utilizing enology and marketing consultants with extensive academic and real-world experience, I hope to answer these questions. The kelp industry is in its infancy in Alaska and opening new markets is paramount. Developing environmentally sensitive Alaskan wine/spirit products could present a new market for our kelp growers while helping local businesses expand. I have found that approximately eight pounds of sugar kelp is needed per case of wine and that case could either be sold as wine or distilled into a smaller quantity of spirits. Even a very small winery is defined as 1,000 to 4,999 cases produced per year. Extrapolating this, each very small winery would need 8,000 to 35,000 pounds of sugar kelp annually and possibly more for a distillery. Though I have made wines on an amateur level for years, this project needs input from experts in the field to move it to a production level, marketable wine. I will be donating my time and equipment for this project but will need to pay the consultants, buy ingredients, and additional testing equipment that they designate. Though eighteen months is considered a short time in the wine making world, this will allow enough time to complete multiple trials to develop best practice protocols for commercial wineries/distilleries. Also allowing time for the marketing consultants to create their report and recommendations.

Learn more here.