Help Martha's Vineyard Sea Salt Rebuild After Storm

Since 2013, we at Martha's Vineyard Sea Salt have lovingly crafted delicious and sustainably made solar sea salt. Our micro business has sprinkled flavor across the island, New England, and beyond. In early '23, we took a leap to expand our evaporative capacity in response to the challenges of climate change; far more frequent humid springs and summers regardless if rainfall occurred. The impact on production paralleled our peak sales seasons so in order to grow, we needed mor capacity.

We completed our solar evaporator project in mid July '24. By August, the four solar ponds in the 70' x 30' structure providing the much-needed salt. We were able to fill the four ponds to various depths which adds a measure of control to batch drying.

Calamity struck on December 11, when fierce winds of 61.1 mph - but gusts far higher - and rain caused the heavy berms to shift, resulting in the cover peeling away. This exposed 200 lbs of our dried sea salt to the elements—rain, sand, leaves, and debris.

While we have liability insurance, we lack structural coverage. Thankfully, no one was harmed, but the loss of sales and the costs to rebuild weigh heavily on us. We are seeking your support to help us assess and address the failures in the building systems in the first quarter of '25. Funds will be spent on

- 80'x 50' ish top cover film

- 10' x 144' side wall film

- 144' of dual channel aluminum side rails with wiggle wire

- 144' single channel aluminum side rails with wiggle wire

- 144' + of pressure treated 2x4x16'

- hurricane strapping 1,000'

- fasteners - be they tek screws, wood screws, metal plates, washers,

- pressure treated end wall lumber to make opening smaller

- screw bits, cordless screwdrivers

Note: being borrowed for the job are ladders, screw guns, levels, rope and a whole lot of good will!