Company History
From humble beginnings to New Zealand's leading seaweed innovation company
Our Story
Our journey first began when AgriSea New Zealand's founders, Jill Bradley and Keith Atwood, spent a summer visiting organic farms across New Zealand. One farm stood out – it was vibrant, disease-free and thriving, largely thanks to seaweed. That experience was life-changing. They researched seaweeds worldwide, discovered New Zealand's brown kelp, and began experimenting on their own rural Auckland property. After sharing their home-brewed seaweed garden tonic with friends, word quickly spread.
Recognising the untapped potential of seaweed, Jill and Keith then sold their Auckland home and spent their kids' inheritance to start brewing seaweed commercially in Paeroa. It was humble beginnings – they lived in a small shop with no bathroom and no running hot water – but their early research on kiwifruit orchards showed remarkable improvements in crop growth and longevity, setting the foundation for our company's long-term focus on soil, pasture, and livestock health.
As demand grew, we expanded into an old butter factory, and in 2019 AgriSea bought Paeroa's ex-freezing works which provides 5000m² of factory space along with 80,000m² of land including wetlands, riparian planting, an area for bees, an orchard and room to run some cattle.
Today, our company is run by the second generation of Bradleys and employs seaweed harvesters and area field consultants right across the country. We have won numerous awards including a Fieldays Innovation Award in 2020 and NZ Hi-Tech Māori Company of the Year in 2022.
AgriSea remains New Zealand's largest investor in seaweed research, collaborating with universities and research institutes nationwide to deliver practical, science-backed solutions that boost farm performance, reduce environmental impact, and push the boundaries of what's possible in a biocircular economy.
From beach, to barrel, to your front gate, AgriSea is committed to bringing whānau values, innovation, and practical expertise together to build a stronger, resilient, and more sustainable future for Aotearoa.