Why hand-harvested salt? What the rake does that a machine cannot

"Hand-harvested" is printed on a lot of salt. At our saltworks in the Westfjords of Iceland, it means something specific: every step after the seawater reaches the pans is done by people, not machines.

Fragile by nature

A flake of sea salt is a thin, hollow pyramid that grows on the surface of warm brine. That shape is what gives it crunch and makes it dissolve so quickly on your tongue. It is also easy to break. Machines that scrape, pump or tumble salt crush many of the flakes into small grains.

Rake, drain, dry

When a pan is ready, we rake the flakes out by hand with metal rakes made for the job, slowly enough to keep the pyramids whole. The wet salt drains in tubs for about half a day, then dries overnight in a warm drying room heated with the leftover geothermal energy from the pans.

Checked by eye

Before anything is packed, the salt makers look at and feel every batch, so only crisp, dry flakes go into the jar. Small batches make that possible.

Why it matters to you

• Bigger flakes. More whole pyramids means more crunch and a cleaner burst of salt.
• Less salt, more flavor. Large flakes taste saltier on the tongue, so a pinch goes further.
• Nothing added. Hand-harvested salt does not need anti-caking agents to flow through machines.
• Local work. Harvesting by hand creates jobs in the Westfjords, one of the most remote parts of Iceland.

Read the full process or try our Pure Flaky Sea Salt.