Ep.268: How Seaweed Helped Build a Skincare Business in Rural Newfoundland

Courtney and Terrence Howell didn't move to rural Newfoundland because it was the easiest place to build a business. They moved there because it was where they wanted to build their life.

After meeting while teaching English in South Korea, the couple eventually settled in Grates Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador. With backgrounds in anthropology and fine arts, they launched an art and tourism business before transforming an old school into a Cajun-Creole fusion restaurant.

Then a walk along the beach changed everything.

Terrence, who has lived with Crohn's disease for most of his life, was dealing with serious irritation around his medical appliance. After handling a piece of local seaweed and noticing an unexpected change in his skin, he and Courtney began exploring how its naturally occurring bioactive compounds could be extracted and preserved.

That discovery eventually became 7 Fathoms Seaweed Skin Care.