Hortimare expands to the UK with new nursery hub
We’ve opened a new nursery hub in Ardtoe, Scotland, together with Atlantic Mariculture. It’s a next step for us in one of Europe’s key seaweed farming regions, built on the same protocols and expertise we’ve developed at our home nursery in the Netherlands over the years.
The UK has long been one of the most active seaweed farming regions in Europe, with a growing number of kelp farms established along the Scottish coast in recent years. Until now, we’ve supplied that market from the Netherlands, shipping seeded twine across the North Sea for each growing season. Having a nursery on-site changes that: it puts us directly in the region where our twine is used, closer to the water conditions, growing cycles, and logistics that shape how our clients farm. It also means we can respond faster when circumstances on a farm change, something that’s harder to do from a distance.
What this means
A hub built on established protocols. The nursery in Ardtoe runs on the same breeding and propagation protocols developed at our Dutch home nursery, adapted to local conditions in Scotland. Seedlings go through the same selection and quality checks, so growers can expect the same reliability they’d get from our home nursery, produced closer to their farms.
Growing our production capacity. This season, the hub delivers its first 13 km of seeded twine, adding to Hortimare’s total production capacity. The hub itself is designed for up to 24 km of seeded twine per cycle, and we plan to scale up towards that capacity in the coming years as demand in the region grows. Based on average Scottish farm yields last year of around 10 kg of kelp per meter of twine, that first 13 km could support roughly 130 tons of kelp production this season, with the hub’s full capacity of 24 km translating to around 240 tons once fully scaled.
A local base for regional clients. Operating directly in the UK reduces the logistical steps and costs involved in supplying growers in the region: shorter transport distances, fewer handovers, and more room for flexible, responsive delivery when farming schedules shift. The hub is run by Hortimare personnel, and produces twine to the same quality standard as our Dutch nursery.
A partnership with Atlantic Mariculture. The hub was developed together with Atlantic Mariculture, whose knowledge of the local waters and farming conditions has been an important part of getting the site up and running. We see this as the start of a longer-term collaboration, not just a one-off project.
“Scotland is one of the world’s core seaweed farming regions, and this hub is an important step for us to become more embedded here. Building it together with the team at Atlantic Mariculture gives us a strong local partner from day one, and together, our ambition is for this hub to also become a foundation for future projects in the region,” says Ingrid Jonker, CCO of Hortimare.
