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A scientific paper inspired passionate environmentalist Sam Elsom to switch focus from fashion to seaweed farming. Sea Forest is now a rapidly expanding listed company.
“In the beginning, it was more of an exploration to commercialise Australian science than a business,” says Sea Forest co-founder and CEO Sam Elsom. Australian scientists had found the bioactive properties in seaweed could reduce the methane emissions of livestock and that was enough for Elsom to throw his entrepreneurial muscle behind it. “The research project grew into a company.”
In 2017, Elsom watched an online presentation laying out the dire predictions from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. One possible solution was that seaweed feed could reduce the potent greenhouse gas methane in the emissions from ruminant livestock. Agriculture is responsible for up to 40 per cent of human-caused global methane emissions, and the planet’s 1.5 billion cows and 1.1 billion sheep are estimated to contribute most of that.
Elsom and Sea Forest co-founder and fellow director Stephen Turner, who has extensive experience in large greenfields projects in the resources sector, started the research using personal funds. They commissioned scientists at Australian universities to quantify how asparagopsis, an endemic seaweed, reduces methane production in the guts of certain animals and to prove it could be cultivated at scale.
“The initial milestone was to locate the seaweed and do site feasibility and due diligence around the best place in Australia to start this,” says Elsom.
In the waters off Tasmania’s east coast, Elsom found the mother lode of the methane-munching seaweed. “Asparagopsis is wildly and annually abundant in Tasmania,” he says. “We had a huge number of research questions. We needed to establish methods for cultivation and understand the seaweed’s life cycle. That led to the development of a standard operating procedure, a manual, so we could employ people and give them instructions.”
Sea Forest set up a world-class laboratory and hatchery in the fishing village of Triabunna and nearby Swansea. This is the launching pad to scale production of SeaFeed. Faith in the supplement’s promise was boosted on the ASX in November 2025, when Sea Forest successfully completed its IPO at $2 a share, raising $20.5m to expand production infrastructure and advance regulatory approvals for new markets.
Elsom is based in Orford, a holiday hamlet south of Triabunna, while his wife and children remain in the family home in the NSW Northern Rivers. “I am 110 per cent dedicated to the business, so to move the family down wouldn’t have been fair,” he says. “It’s a sacrifice and the hardest part of what we’re doing with Sea Forest.”
Inclusion on the learning curve
Elsom led his own eponymous sustainable fashion and marketing company for more than a decade. While building Sea Forest has been very different, he found he held several key transferrable skills, starting with leadership. “There’s so much failure in science, particularly in the early research days,” he says. “Maintaining team morale and ensuring everybody stayed focused on the task was really important.”
He also brought finely tuned EQ. “Working in the marine environment and managing such a diverse group of people was new to me and something I had to really think about, because at times it could be challenging,” he says. “We’re operating a very large marine farm, and while some of the team didn’t go to university, they’ve been working in this waterway for over 25 years.”
Including the marine farming team on weekly calls with the scientists was key. “They had all this knowledge, so we made sure they had a seat at the table — and we’d intentionally throw to those individuals to provide comments.”
The marine farm team was drawn from local cray fishers, oyster and mussel farmers, and the farmed salmon industry. “They were the ones carrying out scientific experiments and a large-scale proof of concept in the water,” says Elsom. “Their practical knowledge informed the work of our research team and it created a more unified team and respect across the different departments and roles.”
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Aligning governance for the next step
Having benefited from many mentors throughout his career, Elsom notes it became even more important as Sea Forest moved to list on the ASX. Turner, his co-founder, had experience in taking startups to listed companies “and he brought a lot of those disciplines and has also been a tremendous mentor”, says Elsom.
The company assembled a board after its first capital raise in 2020. “As we’ve grown, the skillset required of our board has evolved.”
That has included bringing on directors with expertise in scientific R&D, patent protection, consumer sentiment, supply chain, IT and sustainability.
John McKillop FAICD and Elsom met at the 2021 Global Food Forum. Last year, McKillop added his immense experience in the agricultural sector to the Sea Forest board when he joined as chair.
“We’d made huge progress in the science and product development, but building credibility and trust in the agricultural industry takes a long time,” says Elsom. “We understood we didn’t have that strong representation and understanding of the industry within which we were trying to commercialise. John joining has been game-changing.”
Elsom says he works closely with the board, seeking strategic guidance and leaning on their experience. “I also look to be challenged, so long as it’s constructive and healthy. As chair, John keeps things moving through the agenda appropriately and holds me to account as CEO, which is important. I usually communicate with the board in group emails, but sometimes there are certain subjects where particular directors are suited to work it through with me.”
First-timers at the helm
McKillop had stayed in touch with Elsom as Sea Forest grew and was well across the company when asked to become chair. “I like what it’s doing in terms of reducing the agricultural industry’s effect on climate, because the industry is coming under increasing pressure,” he says. “I also like that there’s a payback for using it.”
This refers to the fact that the SeaFeed supplement has now been scientifically proven to improve weight gain, and therefore value, in beef cattle by an average of six per cent.
“If you use this product, you’ll get a return on your capital and there’s a great benefit to the environment. I’d had a number of interactions with Stephen and Sam. I liked them and trusted the research was thorough and everything would be done properly. That gave me confidence in the executive team.”
It’s Elsom’s first time leading a public company and McKillop’s first time chairing one.
“It was a steep learning curve for me to participate in the management presentations to potential investors,” says McKillop. “Our previous board did a fantastic job to get it to that point. Ahead of the IPO, we knew we needed more diversity and specific skillsets on board. We’ve stepped up and now have the skills and ability to meet the requirements of the ASX as well as shareholders.”
As work continues on growing Sea Forest into a global company, Elsom remains enthusiastic. “There’s never been a time in my life when I’ve had so much resolve. Despite the uncertainty, I’ve always had a strong view we’d get past whatever hurdle was in front of us and this will all work.”
This article first appeared under the title 'Seaweed salvation' in the April/May 2026 Issue of Company Director Magazine.
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