About Phycogel
Built on Marine Science
Founded by marine biologists and process engineers, Phycogel exists to make sustainably cultivated red macroalgae a reliable industrial input — not a niche curiosity.
Our Story
From Field Research to Commercial Supply
Phycogel was founded in 2014 by a team of marine biologists and food scientists who had spent years studying red macroalgal ecology in tropical coastal systems. The founding insight was straightforward: the polysaccharide chemistry of Gracilaria and Kappaphycus was well understood, the cultivation technology was proven, but the supply chain connecting ocean to industry was fragmented, inconsistent, and opaque.
We spent the first three years building cultivation infrastructure — securing site licences, establishing nursery propagation protocols, and developing the water quality monitoring systems that now run across all our sites. The extraction facility came online in 2018, allowing us to close the loop from biomass to certified extract under one quality system.
Today Phycogel supplies food manufacturers, pharmaceutical ingredient companies, and cosmetics formulators across Europe, North America, and Asia. Every batch is traceable to the cultivation site and harvest date, and every shipment leaves with a full Certificate of Analysis.
What We Stand For
Our Values
Scientific Rigour
Every cultivation and processing decision is grounded in published science and validated by our in-house research team. We do not make claims we cannot measure.
Supply Chain Transparency
Full traceability from cultivation site to dispatch. Customers can request batch-level provenance data for any product at any time.
Ecological Responsibility
We operate within the carrying capacity of our cultivation sites and publish annual environmental disclosures covering carbon, water, and biodiversity metrics.
Long-Term Partnerships
We work with customers on specification development, scale-up planning, and supply security — not just order fulfilment.
Timeline
Company History
Phycogel founded; first cultivation site licensed in County Clare, Ireland
Second and third cultivation sites operational; nursery propagation facility commissioned
GMP extraction and fractionation facility opens; first pharmaceutical-grade agar batches produced
ISO 9001 and ASC-MSC certification achieved; first export shipments to EU food manufacturers
Capacity expansion to 400 tonnes/year dried biomass; FSSC 22000 certification
North American and Asian distribution partnerships established; ISO 14001 certification
Blue carbon accounting programme launched; sixth cultivation site licensed
Leadership
The Team
Dr. Saoirse Ní Fhaoláin
Chief Executive Officer
Marine biologist with 18 years of research and commercial experience in macroalgal cultivation. Former research lead at the Marine Institute, Ireland. PhD in phycology from University College Cork.
Dr. Rajan Krishnamurthy
Chief Scientific Officer
Polymer chemist specialising in marine polysaccharide extraction and characterisation. 12 years in pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing before joining Phycogel. PhD from IIT Madras.
Marta Solà-Vidal
Head of Cultivation Operations
Aquaculture engineer with 14 years of experience managing open-water seaweed and shellfish cultivation sites across the Mediterranean and Atlantic. MSc in Aquaculture from Universitat de Barcelona.
James Okafor
Head of Quality & Regulatory
Food safety and regulatory specialist with experience across ISO 9001, FSSC 22000, and EU food contact materials legislation. Previously Quality Director at a major hydrocolloid manufacturer.
Dr. Yuki Tanaka
Research Director
Molecular biologist focused on macroalgal strain improvement and bioactive characterisation. Leads Phycogel's academic partnership programme. PhD from Kyoto University.
Aoife Brennan
Commercial Director
15 years in specialty ingredient sales and business development across food, pharma, and cosmetics markets. Leads customer partnerships, new market entry, and strategic accounts.
Work With Us
Whether you are qualifying a new supplier, developing a custom specification, or exploring a research partnership — we would like to hear from you.