Sea moss is becoming increasingly popular due to its numerous health benefits. Sea moss has a high mineral content and contains 92 minerals out of the 102 in the human body. These minerals play an important role in digestion and nutrient absorption from meals. Sea moss is a great source of magnesium, calcium, potassium, and iodine. In addition, it is rich in vitamins A, C, and E. 

Several famous people, including Kim Kardashian, Jack Harlow, and Cardi B, have spoken out about how beneficial sea moss is to their daily lives. Since then, it exploded on Tik Tok with upwards of 580 million views on the hashtag #seamoss. 

What does this mean for the health and beauty industries? We sit down with celebrated entrepreneur Ivan Tsvilik and the founder and CEO of True Sea Moss, one of the leading providers of sea moss in the USA, to better understand this.

Q: You own a sea moss company. What inspired you to start this business?

A: I started paying more attention to my health during the pandemic, which is how I came across Dr. Sebi’s writings on sea moss. This was the first time I’d heard of sea moss, so I went on Amazon and bought some for myself. We use sea moss as a daily supplement and really like it. However, it was a pretty pricey product (around $40 for 8 ounces) and often out of stock, so I started doing my research about sea moss. And I found small family farms that source sea moss. And it was a day when I realized that I can change the market! I was so inspired by the idea that I could make it available to everyone. It wasn’t a market dumping strategy; it was a principled stance. That’s how my relationship with sea moss began.

Q: What sets your sea moss products apart from other competitors in the industry?

A: As a consumer of Sea Moss, I was dissatisfied with the price and quality of the products on the market. That is why we realized the problems that the consumers of the product were facing and set high standards.

And first and foremost, what makes us special is how affordable we are. That was my primary goal when I began working with this product. To make it available to as many people as possible.

Second, we stand out for our naturalness and freshness. We buy moss that has been collected in the wild.

Another thing we believe in is sustainable living; minimizing our collective impact on the Earth; and, through our community, supporting the organic and living foods movements. We support small, organic, family farms. The farmers from which we buy are collecting their produce in harmony with the sea.

Last but not least, customer service. We are online 24/7 and ready to answer all questions about the product. We endeavor to exceed your expectations for service.

 Q: Finding the funds to launch the company is a challenge many business owners face. How did you initially fund your business? 

 A: I only had $10,000 when I started this business. We divided this money into Amazon courses to understand how the algorithms work ($3,000), purchasing raw sea moss ($3000). And we spent another $4,000 on marketing and launching the product on Amazon. For 2 years, we invested every penny of our earnings on Amazon back into the company. To pay our bills, my wife and I had second jobs. After 2 years, it has paid off as True Sea Moss has grown to $2.5M in sales last year. 

So we started with our own funds, then we used credit lines once we saw that the business model worked, sales went well, and we have been receiving a lot of positive feedback from our customers. 

We are still reinvesting the majority of our profits back into the business. And we are currently in negotiations with investors who are willing to help us expand the business. 

Q: How has the demand for sea moss changed over the years?

A: While sea moss has been used for centuries in traditional medicine, seaweed is becoming increasingly popular as the online world catches on and researchers link it to many health benefits. 

Dr. Sebi talked about the popularity of this product back in the early 2000s, but it became especially popular during the COVID-19 period when people like me started looking for ways to improve their health.

Now the product is gaining tremendous popularity in the U.S. Many nutritionists are recommending sea moss gel diets because it contains 92 minerals. Kim Kardashian, a trendsetter and influencer, uses Sea Moss and recommends it as a superfood. It is also growing in popularity on social networks—TikTok alone has seen 580 million requests for sea moss in the last 2 years.

So, according to our sales and the growth of popularity and mentions in social networks, we see a crazy growth and demand for the product.

Q: How do you see the Sea Moss industry evolving in the next 5–10 years, and where do you see your business in the next 5 years?

A: The popularity of sea moss is growing exponentially along with its use. It is already a popular dietary product and is used to strengthen the immune system. It is also undergoing research on its useful properties in terms of fighting more serious diseases.

We already have a strategy for the next 5 years, and we are receiving positive feedback from the investors and potential partners. There is a huge opportunity on this market, and we know where to go.

We believe that the use of Sea Moss in the skincare/cosmetic industry has enormous potential, which is a path we are looking to pursue. We see great potential in expanding our line as well as our products with sea moss applications, including as a food additive—we see it as a superfood, not to mention the crazy potential in the skincare and cosmetics industry.

I see that in 5 years we will have a big piece of the market with a wide range of products made from sea moss that can be used in various forms. I also see it growing in popularity all over the world. Right now, we know about its popularity in the United States, but we already see interest from nearby Mexico and Canada, and we’re already sending our products to Australia and Europe. We believe we have great potential for us to be represented in other markets. 

Our goal has not changed. We still want to keep sea moss affordable, of the best quality, and available to the whole world. We are looking for partners who share our values and vision and will assist us in expanding into new markets. 

Q: Lastly, What advice would you give someone looking to start their own sea moss business or any entrepreneur?

A: Sow the seeds and look for hints on how to get into what you want to do. To begin something, you must take small steps toward your goal every day. Divide the big goal into a million small steps. And make daily progress toward your goal. Never lose faith in yourself, and stay the course! Set a goal and look for how you can be of service to the world, how you can help people, and it will be valued.