Coast 4C

What Coast 4C does

Coast 4C is a B2B sustainable seaweed supply-chain company headquartered in Cronulla, Australia, with operations concentrated in the Philippines and Indonesia. Founded in 2020 and spun out of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) in 2022, the company connects smallholder seaweed farmers to global brands in food, feed, fertiliser, and plastics markets by sourcing, grading, and selling dried seaweed with full farm-to-buyer traceability. Its proprietary GROW programme delivers regenerative farm input packages (improved seedlings, waste-minimising materials, agronomic and financial support) to smallholder farmers, claiming 4x yield increases, 25-percentage-point quality improvements, and 2.5x higher compound daily growth rates compared to traditional methods. The company also operates the iMPA (ideal Marine Protected Area) model, which integrates regenerative seaweed farming zones with sustainable fishing and habitat restoration across community-based marine protected areas averaging 800 hectares (versus a 16-hect national average).

The commercial platform centres on three seaweed product grades — Traditional, Transitional, and Regenerative — sold directly to enterprise buyers through relationship-driven sales outreach. Supporting infrastructure includes a Digital Agri-Tech Traceability system and an Impact Monitoring System that tracks environmental and social metrics such as the Poverty Probability Index and food security. As of 2024, the company had supplied GROW packages to 286 farming families, traded 705 tonnes of dried seaweed year-to-date, and protected 5,868 hectares of ocean across eight community-based marine protected areas, with an internal target of reaching 500 families by end-2025. The company is currently raising an investment round and is supported by a network of impact investors (elea, Minderoo Foundation, CI Ventures, Blue Revolution Fund, Azulito, Rising Tide, Rumah) and strategic partners including Hatch Blue, TRANSFORM (Unilever), ZSL, Interface, UPMSI, and ORRAA.

The company makes money by purchasing seaweed from contracted smallholder farmers and reselling it as graded, traceable inventory to global enterprise buyers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and contracts appear to be negotiated bilaterally. The go-to-market combines community-led supply buildout (farmer engagement via GROW) with direct enterprise sales to brand customers, supplemented by earned media coverage and investor outreach for capital. Headcount sits in the 11–50 range, with a deeply experienced leadership bench spanning marine biology (ZSL, National Geographic), aquaculture industry expertise (three decades of Philippine seaweed industry experience), corporate finance, and digital product engineering.

Name

Coast 4C

Legal name

Coast 4C

Website

https://coast4c.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Coast 4C is an Australia-headquartered B2B seaweed supply-chain company that sources, grades, and sells dried seaweed from smallholder farmers in the Philippines and Indonesia to global brands in food, feed, fertiliser, and plastics markets. It combines a farmer-engagement GROW programme with proprietary marine protected area (iMPA) design and full farm-to-buyer traceability.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regenerative Seaweed Supply Chain

NAICS

Aquaculture (1125), Other Aquaculture (112519), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (3117)

SIC

Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Offshore & Open-Ocean Aquaculture (AFAEAAAH), Organic Aquaculture (Fish & Shellfish) (AFAEAMAF), Aquaculture Harvest, Processing & Packing (Farmed Finfish/Shellfish; On-Farm Plants) (AFANADAL), Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

Keywords

• Regenerative seaweed supply
• Seaweed farming supply chain
• Marine protected areas
• Sustainable aquaculture sourcing
• Smallholder farmer programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Cronulla

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Seaweed Sales: Coast 4C purchases seaweed from smallholder farmers through its GROW programme and sells dried seaweed to global brands and buyers. The company supplies three grades: Traditional, Transitional, and Regenerative seaweed, with traceability from farm to buyer.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Coast 4C operates a regenerative seaweed supply chain that sources dried seaweed from smallholder farmers in the Philippines and Indonesia via its GROW programme and sells it to global brands in food, feed, fertiliser, and plastics markets across three grades (Traditional, Transitional, Regenerative). The company combines regenerative farming input packages, digital traceability, and the proprietary iMPA marine protection model to deliver traceable, high-quality seaweed while improving farmer yields and livelihoods.

Product overview

Coast 4C is a B2B seaweed supply chain company operating as a single integrated platform rather than modular architecture. The core offering centres on the GROW Programme — a farmer engagement model providing regenerative farm input packages to smallholder seaweed farmers — combined with three seaweed product grades (Traditional, Transitional, and Regenerative) that scale along a sustainability spectrum. Supporting infrastructure includes the proprietary iMPA (ideal Marine Protected Area) model for marine conservation integration, Digital Agri-Tech Traceability for supply chain visibility, and an Impact Monitoring System for ESG tracking. The company connects smallholder farmers in Southeast Asia with global brands requiring ethically sourced, traceable seaweed for food, feed, fertiliser, and plastics markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GROW Programme A farmer engagement and training programme that provides regenerative farm input packages — including improved seedlings, farming technologies, waste-minimising materials, farm management support, and financial support — to help smallholder seaweed farmers in the Philippines and Indonesia transition from traditional to regenerative practices, achieving up to 4x yield increases and improved seaweed quality.
• Traditional Seaweed Dried seaweed grown using conventional farming practices passed down through generations; the entry-grade product in Coast 4C's offering that requires minimum upfront capital but generates non-biodegradable waste after each planting cycle. Sold to enterprise buyers across food, feed, fertiliser, and plastics markets.
• Transitional Seaweed Mid-tier dried seaweed produced by farmers who have received GROW seaweed farming start-up packages, featuring waste-minimising materials, improved seedlings, and traceable production from specific farming sites. Sold to enterprise buyers in food, feed, fertiliser, and plastics markets.
• Regenerative Seaweed Premium-grade dried seaweed produced within ideal Marine Protected Areas (iMPAs), combining transitional characteristics with full traceability to site and iMPA of origin. Represents the highest sustainability standard in Coast 4C's offering for enterprise buyers.
• iMPA (ideal Marine Protected Area) Model Coast 4C's proprietary model for increasing the size and effectiveness of community-based marine protected areas, integrating zones for regenerative seaweed farming, sustainable fishing, and habitat restoration. Average iMPA covers 800 hectares, 45 times the national average of 16 hectares. Delivered to local government municipalities, NGOs, and conservation organisations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4x yield increase per crop cycle for GROW farmers
• +6 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hatch BluecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHatch Blue is an aquaculture accelerator that has supported Coast 4C as part of its latest cohort.
• Kibo CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKibo Company is listed as a supporter of Coast 4C.
• Zoological Society of London (ZSL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZSL provided support for Nick and Madz to develop their concepts through its science-driven conservation mission. Professor Heather Koldewey serves as Honorary Professor at University of Exeter, Senior Marine Conservation Advisor at ZSL, and Non-exec Director of Guardian Shareholder. Andrew Terry leads global conservation work at ZSL as Director of Conservation & Policy.
• Interface (Net-Works)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterface partnered with ZSL to develop Net-Works, an award-winning collaboration that tested the community engagement model and ultimately spawned Coast 4C.
• University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UPMSI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUPMSI partners with Coast 4C on marine science research and coastal community engagement.
• Zoos South AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMark Smith, Conservation Manager at Zoos South Australia and pioneer in business and conservation, serves on the board. Formerly Executive Director of Oceanario de Lisboa and Ocean Explorium.
• Ocean Risk Alliance (ORRAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerORRAA's Chip Cunliffe, Programme & Risk Director, has recognised Coast 4C for pioneering transformative approaches to sustainable blue economy in the Philippines.
• Municipality of Ajuy, IloilocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner for community-based marine protected areas and seaweed farming programmes.
• Municipality of Concepcion, IloilocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner for community-based marine protected areas and seaweed farming programmes.
• Municipality of Bien Unido, BoholcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner for community-based marine protected areas and seaweed farming programmes.
• Municipality of Talibon, BoholcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner for community-based marine protected areas and seaweed farming programmes.
• Municipality of Getafe, BoholcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner for community-based marine protected areas and seaweed farming programmes.
• ArribadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArribada is listed as a partner supporting Coast 4C initiatives.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sea6 Energy: India-based Sea6 Energy cultivates tropical red seaweed at scale for biostimulants, animal feed, and food applications. Highly comparable as a tropical, smallholder-anchored seaweed supply business serving food and agri-inputs markets.
• Symbrosia: Symbrosia produces seaweed-based feed additives (targeting livestock methane reduction) using farmed red seaweed. Comparable as a regenerative seaweed company supplying global B2B buyers in animal feed and sustainability-driven applications.
• Blue Evolution: Blue Evolution farms kelp and other seaweeds in Alaska and Mexico, supplying food ingredients, fertilisers, and consumer products. Comparable as a regenerative seaweed supply platform with end-market reach across food and agri-inputs.
• Kelp Blue: Kelp Blue cultivates giant kelp at offshore farms in Namibia and Norway for food, biostimulants, and carbon markets. Directly comparable as a vertically integrated regenerative seaweed producer targeting ESG-driven global buyers across multiple end-markets.
• Alora: Alora is a regenerative ocean agriculture company producing seaweed for food, feed, and blue carbon. Directly comparable as a regenerative seaweed supply business focused on climate and food-market end uses.

Emerging players

• OASE: OASE is a Dutch-Ghanaian start-up producing seaweed-based biostimulants from cultivated tropical seaweed. Comparable as an emerging player in cultivated tropical seaweed for agricultural applications, partially overlapping with Coast 4C's fertiliser end-market.
• Mara Renewables: Mara Renewables produces algae-based ingredients for nutrition and personal care. Comparable as an emerging algae/seaweed-derived ingredient supplier serving global brand customers in food, feed, and personal care end markets.

Broad incumbents

• Cargill: Cargill is a global agribusiness giant with significant activity in carrageenan, hydrocolloids, and animal nutrition. Relevant as a large incumbent that purchases and processes seaweed and competes in the same end-markets Coast 4C targets.

Others

• AquaBioTech Group: AquaBioTech Group is an aquaculture technology and consulting firm working on seaweed and finfish production systems. Comparable as an adjacent aquaculture technology provider supporting seaweed industry development.
• Koltiva: Koltiva provides farm-to-buyer traceability and supply chain software for smallholder commodities, including seaweed. Already a Coast 4C partner, Koltiva is relevant as a traceability technology peer/enabler serving smallholder supply chains.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/coast4c
• Facebookfacebook.com/coast4c
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coast4c

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

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 Coast 4C