- March 28, 2024
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What do a natural digestive health company and an aquarium have in common? They have joined together in an effort to save coral reefs.
Venice-based Enzymedica sells enzymes to customers worldwide. Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota is a nonprofit marine research institution.
The two organizations recently held a launch event to announce the partnership, which involves Enzymedica donating a portion of sales of its Aqua Biome fish oil supplements to Mote to help repopulate reefs in the Florida Keys. For every bottle sold, Enzymedica donates $1 to Mote to help it grow coral.
Scott Sensenbrenner, the president and CEO of Enzymedica, tells Coffee Talk that when he first read about Mote’s efforts to repopulate degrading coral reefs, he immediately knew he wanted to partner with the nonprofit. “It’s all about funding,” he says. “The more funding they can get, the more they can do.”
He also felt the efforts aligned well with Enzymedica because the company makes natural products, and the coral work helps the environment. Enzymedica developed a campaign on the front panel of the products that includes wording such as “Buy a bottle; save a reef.” The side of the box says that with every bottle, the buyer helps plant new coral, and inside the package, there’s a card that explains more about Mote and the partnership. “That’s important because if you live in Seattle, and you go into a Whole Foods, consumers are buying Aqua Biome, and they’re learning about Mote Marine," he says. "This is being promoted around the country and throughout the world.”
Enzymedica launched the product line in April, and Sensenbrenner says the company has donated $65,000 to the fund already. “We have no end date in mind,” he says. “We’re looking at being a permanent partner with them.” Sensenbrenner would like to reach a goal of donating $250,000 each year. He says, “The more we sell, the more we’re going to donate.”