Sea Salt Florida

Tim Norwood is a self-proclaimed “saltaholic.” He recalls putting salt on oranges and watermelon when he was younger.

So it only makes sense that after a career as a design engineer, he’d turn to salt—sea salt, to be exact.

Norwood and his wife, who both live in Bradenton, are the force behind Sea Salt Florida, where they harvest salt from our local shores and bring it to you.

Their original plan was to start a winery/vineyard, but they realized how expensive that would be. While in Washington and Oregon, they came across organic sea salt. Norwood said he studied the packets of salt for a long time and finally said, “I think I can do that.” The sea salt business became their winery.

Norwood then proceeded to experiment with making an organic sea salt that’s high quality but still affordable. He left his engineering job last October. Norwood describes himself as a mad scientist type, whose wife is used to small kitchen explosions as he toys around with the right salt mixes.

Yet all that Honey, I Shrunk the Kids–type work is paying off. The sea salts are now available in a variety of area stores, and Norwood’s next step is to offer the salts to chefs in specially labeled “Chef ’s Provision” packaging. One goal is to have 25 employees by the end of the next two years, and he plans for his product to be sold nationwide eventually.

“We intend to leave the business to our grandkids,” he said.

If you’re a salt fan like Norwood, you will appreciate the advantages of sea salt. First, because its crystals are bigger than those of table salt, you’re likely to use less of it and still get the same flavor, according to the website Eating Well.

Second, you’re not limited to just one type of sea salt. Norwood harvests salt from a variety of areas such as Lido Key, Siesta Key, Sarasota Bay, Casey Key, and Anna Maria, and he says that each area has a slightly different taste based on mineral content. (The packages are labeled with where the salt was harvested.) The company also makes flavored salts, such as saffron-infused sea salt, Portobello mushroom sea salt, truffle sea salt, and garlic sea salt.

“When I make it, I use roasted garlic; 95 percent of people who try it say ‘Wow.’ It’s potent and flavorful,” he said.

Norwood has even created a liquid sea salt, which we’re certain you’ll be tempted to spray right in your mouth.

Find the full list of salt flavors and retail locations for Sea Salt Florida on the website seasaltflorida.com. The company also has a Facebook page.