Over 30 years ago, Grain & Salt Society® founder Jacques DeLangre created the Celtic Sea Salt® Brand to share with the world the great taste and health-promoting qualities of this truly exceptional salt. As an innovative researcher in the field of natural health care, Jacques devoted his life to searching for the keys that unlock the potential for health that exists in all people.
Jacques was encouraged by his teacher, macrobiotic pioneer George Ohsawa, to investigate a special salt that was being harvested in the Brittany region of France. Located on the Northwest Atlantic coast, this area had been a salt producing center for thousands of years. But the availability of cheap commercially-mined salt had decimated the trade of traditional sea salt harvesting, and this unique art had all but died out. Jacques visited the region and invested considerable time in researching the salts nutritional profile and establishing relationships with the few remain plaudiers (salt rakers), who were fortunately masters of their craft.
Jacques had long been fascinated by the Celts, a seafaring people who at one time had settled many of the coastal regions of Europe. Since historians believe that the Celts had inhabited the Brittany region, Jacques chose the name Celtic Sea Salt® Brand for his discovery. Because he was drawn to the romanticized imagery often associated with the Celts, Jacques coined the term "Celtic Method" to describe the region's traditional salt harvesting techniques. The rest, as they say, is history. Not only did Jacques' work serve to invigorate traditional salt harvesting in France, it also created a whole new product category within the natural products industry.
From its very founding, this spirit of innovation driven by inspiration has been central to the vision of The Grain & Salt Society®. Through the years, the product selection has grown and changed, but the organization has remained faithfully committed to exploring cutting-edge health concepts and providing solutions to those seeking optimal health.
A New Brand for a New Day
The latest chapter in our evolution began in late 2007, with the launching of Selina Naturally", a new brand for the company. Grain & Salt Society® President and CEO Selina DeLangre realized that the Celtic Sea Salt® Brand name did not lend itself to the wide variety of products she envisioned the company offering. "The Celtic Sea Salt® Brand name will always be an important part of our identity," Selina said. "But we felt it was time to create a broader umbrella brand that would serve as a platform for offering a wider diversity of healthy products." The Selina Naturally" line was initially launched with two product categories: two new salt varieties (Portuguese and Hawaiian) and herb blends featuring Celtic Sea Salt® Brand.
For long-time readers of A Grain of Salt©, it is perhaps the addition of new salts that is most surprising. Although The Grain & Salt Society® has offered a wide variety of product over the years, the only salt it previously offered was Celtic Sea Salt® Brand. Never being content to rest on past achievements, the organization has invested considerable resources into finding and analyzing other salts that might meet our standards for quality and nutritional content. Selina said, "I have been interested in adding other salts to our line for quite some time, but I wasn't interested in picking up just any salt. It was important that any new salts we added meet the exacting standards that Jacques established when he created the Celtic Sea Salt® Brand."
Something Old
Interestingly, one of the new salts was discovered through a recommendation from one of Selina's associates in the French salt industry. After the creation of Celtic Sea Salt® Brand, interest in French sea salt exploded and suppliers often found it difficult to keep up with demand. The result was a growing interest in salts from other regions that have a history of traditional salt harvesting. One such location is the Algarve region of Portugal, an area where salt has been harvested for over 4,000 years. Historians believe that the Egyptians were probably the first to evaporate seawater to produce salt. They later passed their knowledge on to the Phoenicians, masters of ocean travel who probably brought these early salt-gathering methods to the Portuguese coast. Roman ruins in the Algarve region would seem to indicate that they later produced salt there, and during 1600s it supplied salt to much of Europe.
Through her contact, Selina was fortunate to establish a relationship with Rui Francisco Neves Dias, a fourth generation salter whose family has managed salinas (salt ponds) in the Algarve for over 100 years. Rui's salinas are located near Tavira in the Ria Formosa Natural Park, a pristine wildlife reserve that is home to many species of shellfish and other marine life. This area is also free of pollution and has a high evaporation rate due to the Southern European climate.
Much like Celtic Sea Salt® Brand, Rui's salt is hand-harvested in the traditional manner. The marenotos (salt workers) use gravity and gates to funnel the mineral-rich seawater into smaller and shallower salt pans. As the sun and wind evaporate the water, the marenotos harvest the salt using traditional wooden implements. Unlike hand-harvest salts, sea salt harvested by machines must be washed to remove any contaminants left by the equipment, which removes minerals and nutrients.
Celtic Sea Salt® Brand is well known for its light grey, almost purplish hue. But the salt Rui harvests for Selina Naturally" forms as brilliant, dazzling white crystals. Rui's marenotos' careful hand-harvesting ensures that a thin layer of salt is left on the bottom of the salt pound, forming a natural barrier between the bottom and the salt to be harvested. The high evaporation rate is also thought to play a role, since the crystals form much quicker. With a clean, almost sweet flavor, Selina Naturally" Portuguese Sea Salt is available in course, fine ground, and flor de sal. A finishing salt similar to Flower of the Ocean®, Rui's flor de sal received a Superior Taste Award from the International Taste and Quality Institute.
Something New
While Selina Naturally" Portuguese Sea Salt can trace its lineage back 4,000 years, our Hawaiian Deep Sea Salt is a modern marvel, truly the product of a perfect marriage between nature and technology. This remarkable salt is naturally derived from pristine seawater harvested deep off the coast of Kona, Hawaii, using a sustainable, proprietary method. This technology was developed by Mera Pharmaceuticals, a marine biotechnology company that specializes in discovering and developing nutraceuticals and health food products from the pure, deep Pacific ocean water off the coast of Hawaii.
According to Ken Chowder, a scientist with Mera, their salt comes from sea water extracted 2,500 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. Crowder stated that "this provides the purest sea water available. Storms mix the surface water but there is very little mixing below 2,000 feet, even in the most severe storms."
After harvesting, the water is then pumped into lined ponds which are totally enclosed in pharmaceutically-equipped greenhouses. As the water in the ponds evaporates, the relative humidity in the greenhouse begins to rise, retarding evaporation. In order to aid the drying process, air is continuously circulated using a system of filters and chimney fans, Crowder noted.
But what really excited the Selina NaturallyTM team about this remarkable salt is its extraordinary mineral composition. Selina stated, "With a sodium chloride level of 76.9% and a pH of 10.22%, the nutritional profile of this salt is off the charts." She added, "Its potential health benefits are matched only by its flavor. With a subtle and smooth taste, it is a perfect finishing salt for salads, fruits and most any dish."
And what of the future? In 2008, our story of inspiration and innovation will continue to unfold, bringing more exciting opportunities and discoveries to share with our many friends and readers. Stay tuned!
-By Robert Allison
www.celticseasalt.com
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