An African Company Built by Women

The East Africa Seaweed Company LTD is the Brainchild of Renae Bruce-Miller a migrant to Tanzania from the United States. Renae a native of Jamaica longed to “return to Africa” Then Just 3 months after the Covid-19 Outbreak in July of 2020; Renae made the daring move with her 4 year old daughter Jojo.

Having no friends or relatives in  Tanzania, this was no easy feat, but what she did find was warm and friendly people who were just as curious about her as she was about them. She had found a “new home”.

Just 30 days after arriving in Tanzania, Renae found something else, opportunity in the form of a derelict abandoned beach villa sitting on 2 acres of land.

The land was exactly what she needed to create a community beekeeping initiative and so she set to work on her plans, but her friends and supporters back home wanted to see her develop the beach villa as a place to reintroduce Africa to the West and so the donations came in which allowed her to complete the work.

It was during this time that Renae noticed something peculiar on the pristine beach in front of the villa, a Seaweed but not quite like the Seaweeds she was familiar with in the west.

The Seaweed had some familiar elements to the popular “Irish Moss ” from her native Jamaica but not quite the same.

Jamaican “Irish Moss” was more tubular and thread like, yellow and expansive in water, it is a substance used commonly for nursing mothers, in baby porridge and energy booster, all of which Renae used frequently for herself and her daughter while she was still an infant.

Furthermore this “Sea Moss” littered the beaches in Tanzania and the people did not use it or make anything from it as the people in Jamaica did.

This Sea Moss was more like a plant, its colors were purple, iridescent blues and greens when dried and it was attached to Sea Grass, something Renae had never seen before.

Renae began collecting small samples and testing the Sea Moss on herself and her young daughter.

The beneficial results were very similar to what Renae had experienced with Jamaican ” Irish Moss” As an energy booster, it also helped her gastric ulcer issues and abated her insomnia.

For 18 months, Renae watched the beaches and studied the availability of the Seaweed realizing that it was seasonal, she wondered how she could use the Seaweed to create a company? How can you create interest around a product that the local community was totally unfamiliar with?

There were no easy answers, or clear path nonetheless, she decided to approach the Government of Tanzania and propose to sustainably harvest the Wild Stock Seaweed, she had to demonstrate just how her activities will not impact wildlife in the area and a special license was granted. She then took specimens of the Sea weed to the University of Dar Es Salaam, who properly identified the species as a Rhodophyta (Red Algae) Gracilaria Corticata, a rare species not commercially available.

Now the real work would begin, to make her dream of community development and employment opportunities using the wild Stock Sea Weed to form a company into a reality, Renae needed investors!

She frequently posted on social media and hosted Zoom meetings to share the opportunity with folks back home  and those who found what she had to say of value were mostly women!

With 10 women and 2 Men, The East Africa Seaweed Company Limited was founded in February, 2022 and Became the first company on Mainland Tanzania to be certified by the Tanzanian Investment Center for Seaweed Processing. The Company also holds many other “firsts”: Renae is also the first person to Hold a Seaweed Collection License in Tanzania and The East Africa Seaweed Company is the First Company to export wild Seaweeds from the continent of Africa.

Acknowledging that Wild Stock Seaweed is not a sustainable model to meet market demands, The East Africa Seaweed Company also partnered with Seaweed farmers in Coastal Tanzania 99% of whom are women, to ensure consistent quality supply in the value chain to deliver species Eucheuma Spinosum and Cottonii to the international and local market.

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