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1830 Sea Salt Company

By | August 29, 2019
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As the former owner of Cape Cod Step, Paul Shibles knows all about hard work. Installing precast concrete steps and bulkheads was strenuous work, but Shibles enjoyed it. “It’s exercise, and you’re getting paid for it,” he points out. As the proprietor of 1830 Sea Salt Company, the hard work continues.

Originally known as Cape Cod Saltworks, the company was created by two women, Penny Lewis and Janice Burling. They eventually donated the business to Cape Abilities, and the sea salt was produced on a small scale at the Cape Abilities Farm on Route 6A in Dennis. Shibles has since taken over operation of the enterprise and has been at the helm for five years. He continues to employ clients of Cape Abilities to assist him in producing thousands of pounds of sea salt every year as the business continues to expand.

The 1830 Sea Salt Company is now located in Chatham and, for the first time, is open to the public. As for the hours of operation? “We’re open when I’m here, and I’m always here!” Shibles laughs. Well, when he’s not at his secret spot harvesting the 7000 gallons of seawater he collects at a time. “I do go to the open ocean,” Shibles explains. “I don’t go to a bay or inlet.”

He is very particular when it comes to the method. “I go around high tide as the tide is coming in,” he points out. The water is filtered twice before landing in one of the many beds inside a double-walled hoop house to begin the evaporation process. Dependent on sunshine to speed along the evaporation, each bed is ready for harvest on its own time schedule. When it is ready, the technique is rather simple. Shibles grasps a piece of plastic about the size of an index card in each hand and scrapes the plastic-lined bed at a feverish pace. In a matter of moments, he has accumulated a sizable pile of salt, perfectly white.

It takes five gallons of seawater to produce one pound of salt. From the beds, the salt is transferred to the drying room to achieve the optimal moisture content. It is in here where locally sourced spices are added to create the six other varieties of salt that the 1830 Sea Salt Company offers, including onion, chipotle, garlic, seafood blend, and the very popular Herbs de Provence.

Unlike mass produced varieties of sea salt, there are no preservatives or anti-caking agents added to 1830 Sea Salt’s products. The difference is not only in the flavor, but in the softer, finer texture of the salt. “I still enjoy the way I do it,” Shibles states. Of course, after five years, there’s still some tweaking to be done. “It’s still a work in progress!”

Opening doors to the public allows Shibles to share the rich history of salt harvesting on Cape Cod. Large black and white photos accompany the story of a time when as many as 800 salt works covered the shoreline of the Cape. The booming industry was the direct result of the British blockades of the Revolutionary War. At a time when salt was vital for food storage during the long Cape Cod winters, Cape Codders had to find a way to make their own. Indeed, necessity is the mother of invention.

1830 Sea Salt Company’s salt can be found in gift and specialty shops around Cape Cod. It can also be found in the Salty Soaps of CapeLilly and some of the offerings at Chatham Candy Manor and Kandy Korner in Hyannis. Shibles can personalize the labels affixed on the jars, making them great gifts or wedding favors. The 1830 Sea Salt Company supplies over 30 different shops and businesses from large bulk wholesale orders down to the charmingly decorative two and a half ounce jars.

1830 Sea Salt Company
108 Meetinghouse Road, Chatham
508-776-9034 / 1830seasalt.com

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