History

Greenlipped Mussels were harvested by hand from inter-tidal rocks until the 1960s, when the dredging industry of New Zealand attempted to satisfy local demand by dredging for mussels. However it was soon discovered that his was not going to be sustainable. Attention was turned to mussel culture. The greenlipped mussel (Perna canaliculus) is native to New Zealand waters. Cultivation trials were undertaken with a technique that saw young mussels (mussel spat) grown on ropes suspended from rafts. The sheltered, clean waters of New Zealand rich in nutritious plankton provided an ideal environment. After 12-18 months the cultured mussels were ready for harvest, and the first went on sale in 1971.

Long-line cultivation

As more growers entered the industry, the labour-intensive raft method of cultivation was dropped in favour of a modified Japanese long-line system. Biodegradable stockings full of spat are tied to parallel rows of looped ropes, supported by buoys. The young mussels grow through the stockings and anchor themselves to the ropes with threads formed by a special secretion. For some years, ropes were reseeded after harvest with spat found growing naturally in coastal waters. This was a risky operation however, as the timing and volume of supply was unpredictable. In 1974 a marine scientist discovered an abundance of mussel spat attached to washed-up seaweed on Ninety Mile Beach, Northland. Local people began to collect the seaweed, pack it into buckets, and freight this naturally occurring spat to mussel farmers. This then became the main source of seed mussels in New Zealand.

Mountain Red Greenlipped Mussel Extract

The New Zealand Greenlipped Mussel (Perna canaliculus) is grown exclusively in New Zealand's unspoiled coastal waters. New Zealand Greenlipped Mussel is so named due to the unique green colour of its shell. The Greenlipped Mussels farmed for Mountain Red are grown on ropes suspended from platforms on the surface of the ocean. Their growing environment is carefully monitored to ensure that their ocean water is free from pollution and contaminants. The Greenlipped mussel is naturally able to obtain fundamental nutrients from phytoplankton (a marine organism found in ocean waters) and a vast array of marine minerals contained in the untainted ocean water conditions of New Zealand's pristine waters.