It had been six years since we last visited our sea salt suppliers in South Africa, and our visit this winter did not disappoint! The facility was buzzing with activity the day we arrived, as the employees worked to package a large export order and also prepare for a food safety audit the following day.
Smiling workers greeted us, many of them familiar faces, as there is little staff turnover in this progressive, fair-trade organization. Staff members get lots of opportunity to further their education and be trained for positions of leadership within the organization. If you want to see the employees and their work first hand, check out this short video on our YouTube channel!
We feel extraordinarily lucky to be partnered with this small family business who own the rights to a pristine salt water aquifer that supplies us with the purest sea salt in the world. Our salt has been tested and is microplastic-free with less than the allowable microscopic amounts of heavy metals, in alignment with the top sea salts in the world.
Our sea salt comes from the Antarctic Ocean on the southern tip of South Africa. The swift Benguela Current brings this ice-cold water up the coast. There is no industry and no tourism or recreation that happens on these beaches due to this freezing, treacherous current.
This pure ocean water passes through layers of ancient seashell beds that result in our salt containing magnesium, calcium, potassium, in addition to over 80 important trace minerals. The water is then pumped into drying pans on the shores of South Africa where it is sun and wind dried in the intense heat and then hand harvested. There is no machine processing, which maintains the crystalline structure of the salt crystals.
Ours is the only sea salt we are aware of that is microplastic-free due to the unique geological formation of the salt water aquifer and the natural filtration that takes place. It is also a totally renewable resource, unlike mined salts, which have a high carbon footprint and a destructive ecological impact due to the blasting, giant machine harvesting, and machine processing of their salt.
In a time of a global shortage of sea salt due to climate change, we are proud to be the only Canadian business selling this high quality, healthy, artisan Sea Salt to you.
Enjoy!