General KSS

Kona Sea Salt^TM  is entirely hand tended, from the moment our deep seawater arrives on-site, until your order of this unique, gourmet sea salt is delivered to your door step.

The salt is hand-harvested after our unique deep seawater naturally evaporates, in about three weeks. Unhurried evaporation within our closed drying system under the bright Hawaiian sun provides ideal conditions for the characteristic, pure white Kona Sea Salt^TM crystals to form. They are gently scooped into buckets, and wheeled to covered wooden hoppers; here, any remaining moisture drains from the salt. This liquid is a concentrated brine called nigari*, or bitterns, and we collect it at this time.

Our salt is  hand-cleaned with forceps and patience to exacting standards, then packed into 10kg bags for wholesale.

Kona Sea Salt^TM  destined for our retail  product line is oven-dried on site in accordance with State of Hawaii health requirements, then hand-packaged, hand-labeled, and readied for shipping. Whether it's a single grinder, or full pallets shipped by sea, we make certain every order of Kona Sea Salt^TM arrives as quickly and affordably as possible from our Kona production site.

Why do we produce our salt entirely by hand? Sustainability is important to Mera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. By subscribing to the principle of  'hand-made' quality, our company also ensures employment for its dedicated staff.

*Nigari is the coagulant used in making tofu, and ours is revered for its quality. The way we collect our nigari has been compared to the time-honored "farm house" method, once prevalent in rural Japan. All natural, we never add any minerals or salts to change its composition.

Origin of Deep Seawater:  For over one thousand years in the cold seas of the Polar Regions, dense, salt-rich water develops and sinks as sea ice has formed.

Earth’s Major Global Currents of cold-water origin flow and migrate through the Pacific Basin, delivering the ancient deep seawater just offshore of Kona, Hawaii. This is where the Kona Sea Salt™ production site is located.

Getting to the Deep Seawater:  Depths exceeding 2200 feet (670 meters) below the ocean surface require a pipeline 6284 feet long (2060 meters)and 40-inches (1.02 meters) in diameter to bring water onshore. Nelha.org/about/seawater_data.html  Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) - the host park of Kona Sea Salt™  production.

Pathogen-Free: Our deep seawater is well below the turbulent mixing layer of the sea. At such depths, without sunlight and very cold temperatures, there is no primary productivity and fewer living organisms.

Read more: Salt as unique as the water from which it is produced

You've heard the expression, "Worth Your Salt" used by itself, or in combination with other words like:  "Any man worth their salt," or "Not worth your salt."  However you have heard it, did you know what it meant, or where it came from? 

ANY MAN WORTH THEIR SALT Centuries ago, salt was so valuable that laborers were paid part of their wages in salt, together with other essentials.  This custom is documented in the Old Testament of the Bible (Book of Ezra) in the context of the pay of the Persian King's servants.

NOT WORTH YOUR SALT meant not worth your wages.  The Romans served out rations of salt and other provisions to pay soldiers and civil servants.  These rations were called by the general name of salt (sal, Latin), and when money was substituted for these rations, the stipend went by the name of salarium (Latin) from which we get the word -salary.