kelpak

What kelpak does

Kelp Products International (Pty) Ltd., trading as Kelpak, is a South African agricultural inputs company founded in 1978 and headquartered in Cape Town. The company manufactures and globally distributes seaweed-based liquid fertilizers and biostimulants derived from a single kelp species, Ecklonia maxima, harvested along South Africa's Atlantic coast and processed through a proprietary Cold Cellburst extraction method. This cold-process technique preserves sensitive cellular compounds without chemicals, heat, or freezing, differentiating the output from commodity seaweed extracts and supporting a portfolio of certified-organic inputs across the EU, UK, US, Canada, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.

The commercial core is the Kelpak Liquid Seaweed Concentrate, sold in two product lines (Liquid Fertilisers and Biostimulants) with crop-specific application protocols across 30+ crops including almonds, apples, avocado, citrus, table grapes, tomatoes, and turf. Sub-brands Cellburst Garlic Extract and Plantit Plant Starter Tablets extend the extraction platform into adjacent categories. The company is actively expanding North American capacity through a modernized coastal production base, a global logistics hub, and quality verification laboratories, and has announced plans for a Global Research and Innovation Centre.

Kelpak monetizes exclusively through product sales, with no subscription, SaaS, or licensing revenue in the source data. Distribution is sales-led and multi-region: regional distributor networks cover Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia/Pacific, while the USA is served directly via a dedicated portal (kelpakusa.com) with a direct sales capability. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is handled through distributor relationships and direct contact. The company is privately held with no disclosed external investors, funding rounds, M&A, or leadership transitions in the available data.

Name

kelpak

Legal name

Kelp Products International (Pty) Ltd.

Website

https://kelpak.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kelp Products International, trading as Kelpak, manufactures and globally distributes certified-organic seaweed-based liquid fertilizers and biostimulants made from Ecklonia maxima kelp using a proprietary Cold Cellburst extraction process, serving commercial, specialty, and regenerative crop growers across 30+ crops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Biostimulants

NAICS

Pesticide, Fertilizer, and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (3253), Aquaculture (1125)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Seaweed & Algae Aquaculture (incl. microalgae) (AFAEAAAE)

Keywords

• Seaweed biostimulants
• Liquid fertilizers
• Agricultural biostimulants
• Crop yield enhancement
• Seaweed extract products

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Seaweed Biostimulant Sales: Kelp Products International generates revenue through the sale of its flagship Kelpak Liquid Seaweed Concentrate and related biostimulant products to agricultural customers globally.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Kelpak manufactures and sells a seaweed-based agricultural biostimulant (Kelpak Liquid Seaweed Concentrate) derived from Ecklonia maxima kelp harvested along South Africa's Atlantic coast, using its proprietary Cold Cellburst extraction process. The portfolio includes liquid fertilisers and biostimulant product lines, plus sub-products such as Cellburst Garlic Extract and Plantit Plant Starter Tablets, sold globally through regional distributors and direct sales channels for use across more than 30 crop types.

Product overview

Kelpak is a product portfolio built around a single core technology platform: proprietary seaweed extracts derived from Ecklonia maxima kelp using the Cold Cellburst extraction process. The main product is Kelpak Liquid Seaweed Concentrate, a biostimulant that helps farmers improve crop output. The portfolio includes two product lines—Liquid Fertilisers and Biostimulants—delivering the same core extract technology across different formulations. Sub-products include Cellburst Garlic Extract (a proprietary garlic formulation using the same extraction process) and Plantit Plant Starter Tablets (seedling/plant establishment tablets). The company sells Kelpak in pure form as a seaweed extract, with small amounts of macro- and/or micronutrients added to customer specifications in certain regional formulations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cellburst Garlic: A proprietary product formulated by Kelp Products International (Pty) Ltd., using Cellburst garlic extract.

Products and services

• Kelpak Liquid Seaweed Concentrate A seaweed-based agricultural biostimulant derived from Ecklonia maxima kelp harvested along South Africa's Atlantic coast and processed using the proprietary Cold Cellburst extraction process. It has been helping farmers improve crop output for four decades and is applicable across almonds, apples, avocado, citrus, grapes, tomatoes and 30+ other crops via foliar spray, drip irrigation, or root drench.
• Kelpak Liquid Fertilisers Liquid fertiliser products containing Kelpak seaweed extract that deliver nutritional and biostimulant benefits to plants, applied across a wide range of crops and farming systems.
• Kelpak Biostimulants Plant biostimulant products that improve yield across all crop groups by supporting natural plant processes, improving nutrient uptake, tolerance to abiotic stress, and crop quality.
• Cellburst Garlic Extract A proprietary garlic extract formulated by Kelp Products International using the Cellburst process. It is registered as Cellburst Garlic and the name and graphics may not be used without express permission from the company.
• Plantit Plant Starter Tablets Plant starter tablets registered under the name Plantit Plant Starter tablets, designed for seedling and plant establishment. Kelp Products International holds sole copyright to this proprietary product.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Valagro (Syngenta Biologicals): Italian biostimulant and specialty fertilizer producer now part of Syngenta, with broad biostimulant portfolio including seaweed-based lines — competes with Kelpak but with significantly broader crop input range.
• Tradecorp (Rovensa): Spanish biostimulant, special fertilizer, and crop protection distributor (part of Rovensa) — competes with Kelpak in biostimulants while operating a broader specialty crop input portfolio.
• Brandt Consolidated: US agricultural inputs company with a dedicated plant nutrition and biostimulant division — competes with Kelpak in crop biostimulants as part of a full agronomic input portfolio.
• Stoller (Corteva): Global biostimulant and plant nutrition company (now part of Corteva) selling integrated nutrient programs to growers — overlaps Kelpak in biostimulants as part of a much broader specialty crop input portfolio.

Direct peers

• Algaia: French processor of red and brown seaweed extracts supplying food, agriculture, and personal care — overlaps Kelpak in seaweed-based agricultural applications.
• BioAtlantis: Ireland-based biotech producing Ascophyllum nodosum-derived seaweed extracts marketed primarily as crop biostimulants under its own brands — directly competes with Kelpak on seaweed-based biostimulants for growers.
• Acadian Seaplants: Canadian seaweed extract producer selling Ascophyllum nodosum and kelp-based biostimulants and feed ingredients to agriculture, animal nutrition, and turf markets globally — directly competes with Kelpak on seaweed-derived biostimulants.
• Hello Nature (formerly Italpollina): Italian producer of organic fertilizers and biostimulants including seaweed-based extracts — directly competes with Kelpak in seaweed-derived biostimulants for organic and conventional farming.
• Ocean Harvest Technology: Irish/Norwegian company developing seaweed-based functional ingredients for animal feed and crop biostimulant markets — directly comparable seaweed-derived biostimulant focus.

Regional players

• Agrisea (New Zealand): New Zealand producer of seaweed-based (Ecklonia radiata) agricultural biostimulants primarily serving Australasian markets — closely analogous extraction-and-bioproduct model to Kelpak but operating in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kelpakglobal
• Facebookfacebook.com/100064009000146
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kelpak

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about kelpak