Speaker

Mitch Lench is the CEO and founder of Ocean’s Balance, which is a Maine based vertically integrated seaweed ingredients company. Prior to Ocean’s Balance Mitch was the CEO of Treetops Capital, which was one of the early impact investment management firms that invested in microfinance institutions in developing countries. Treetops was selected by ImpactAssets as one of the top 50 global managers for several years straight.  He also held senior level positions at several institutions including Fitch Ratings, Credit Suisse, and Bank of America.  

Company:

Ocean’s Balance is a vertically integrated seaweed ingredients company with operations in Maine and NB, Canada. It creates specialized ingredients primarily for manufacturers of human and pet food.  It also has a wholly owned subsidiary, called Seaweed Farmer Services, that provides co-manufanufacturing services including dehydrating, milling, and blending to other seaweed companies. 

Presentation: 

Ocean’s Balance purchased the first commercial scale kelp dehydrator for farmed kelp in North America this past year as well as specialized milling equipment.  This type of processing hub has relevance for Alaska and other regions where stabilizing kelp is considered the primary bottleneck.  Reflecting on the recent harvest season what are some lessons learned and more generally what type of support is needed to help the farmed seaweed industry scale quickly?