Jacobsen Salt Co.

Netarts Bay on the Oregon Coast supplies the seawater for Jacobsen Salt Co., which has harvested flake sea salt there since 2011 and packs it in Portland.

About Jacobsen Salt Co.

Based in
Netarts Bay and Portland, Oregon
Founded
2011
Known for
Oregon flake sea salt

Ben Jacobsen tested 27 sites along the Washington and Oregon coasts before settling on Netarts Bay, just south of Tillamook, and started Jacobsen Salt Co. there in 2011. Ben Jacobsen chose the bay for its bright salinity, and its oysters act as a natural filter for the water.

The process takes several stages. Seawater is pumped, filtered and concentrated by reverse osmosis, then boiled to pull out excess minerals. The brine goes into evaporation pans and is heated until crystals form, then the flakes are scooped, rinsed, dried and sorted. Pyramid crystals become flake salt and smaller ones kosher salt. The salt is packed in Portland.

The company also sells salt from the salt ponds of Trapani in Sicily, some of the world's oldest operating saltworks, where its farmer partners Massimo and Alberta harvest it.

Jacobsen Salt Co. questions

What is flake salt and how do you use it?

Flake salt is salt in large, thin, pyramid-shaped crystals rather than fine grains. Jacobsen sorts its harvest by size: fully formed pyramid crystals become flake salt, and smaller flakes and coarser crystals become kosher salt. The company describes its flake salt as having a delicate texture and crunch and calls it ideal for finishing any dish just before serving.

How is sun-dried sea salt different from Jacobsen's Oregon salt?

Jacobsen makes its Oregon salt with heat: seawater from Netarts Bay is concentrated, boiled and warmed in pans until crystals form. At the saltworks of Trapani in Sicily, where its partners Massimo and Alberta harvest, the sun and steady wind do that work. Each spring seawater flows into clay-lined pans and slowly evaporates until salt forms, a cycle repeated into September.

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