At this time of the year, the seas of Galicia start yielding their first crops of edible seaweed, considered a superfood by nutritionists worldwide.
Seaweed, which can be consumed fresh, salted, dehydrated and in powder, is classified in three different colours (green, brown and red), with varieties such as Codium, Sea lettuce, Wakame, Kombu, Sea Spaghetti, Irish Moss and Gracilaria.
"More and more consumers are gradually including seaweed in their diets. We have varieties that enhance the flavour of any dish. It is considered a superfood because it has about 5 times more minerals and vitamins than any other fruit or vegetable and even 3 times more calcium than milk, depending on the variety. Some even call them the vegetables of the future," says José Vera, of the Spanish company Guiver Fruits.
"Most of our sales right now correspond to salted seaweed. Fresh seaweed is a very seasonal product, with harvest periods ranging between 1 and 2 months, depending on the variety. Furthermore, fresh seaweed has a shelf life of 10 to 15 days, while salted seaweed lasts for 6 to 12 months, allowing us to distribute it almost all year round. In the end, it doesn't differ much from fresh seaweed, since the salt can be removed with a little water," he explains.
José Vera points out that their culinary potential is also enormous. "Fresh or salted seaweed can be eaten in salads and cooked with scrambled eggs, for example. Even with lentils," he affirms.
"We sell these products to both the foodservice sector, namely fine restaurants, as well as to specialised or gourmet stores. To be able to sell the product at large retail supermarkets it would be necessary for them to carry out promotional campaigns, although there are already supermarkets selling dehydrated seaweed."
As a company devoted to the marketing of fresh fruit and vegetables, Guiver Fruits exports 90% of its production. "Seaweeds are fully intended for export, not only in traditional markets of the European Union, but also the Middle East and Asia. We seek to differentiate ourselves from our competition with premium quality products. We make more shipments by air than with containers to clients that are much more receptive to gourmet products."
According to the exporter, which works with Galician producers that started out in 1998, the seaweed harvest in Spain is not significant yet. Israel is currently the largest producer, with very ambitious projects underway. France is, quite possibly, the largest consumer, since seaweed has already been long used in the gourmet sector and for haute cuisine.
In addition to seaweed, this year Guiver Fruits also has fresh plants from around the sea. Some plants keep salt in their leaves and generally have very intense flavours. They are presented fresh and chopped and have a shelf life of between 15 and 30 days.
More information:
José Vera Gómez
Guiver Fruits S.L.
Calle Granada, 12
Dolores de Pacheco, Murcia. Spain
M: +34 617437729
T: +34 968173341
j.vera@guiverfruits.es
www.giverfruits.es