Hawaii (USA)
The historical benchmark for transparency. Open-pond cultivation in clean Pacific air; premium pricing reflects rigorous quality control.
Producers worth knowing about
- · Cyanotech (Spirulina Pacifica)
- · Nutrex Hawaii
Brands & producers
What we look for, by region.
A growing reference directory. We don't take payment from spirulina manufacturers in exchange for editorial coverage — every brand listed is here because the producer’s public testing record meets our bar.
Brand recommendations on the internet about spirulina are mostly worthless — paid placements in “top 10” round-ups, affiliate-optimised lists with no disclosed methodology, and the opposite problem of nameless forum posts that praise obscure brands without any verifiable testing data.
This page is our attempt at a calmer alternative: a transparent set of criteria, a growing list of producers we’ve watched over time, and explicit honesty about what we don’t know.
Our five evaluation criteria
01
Published, recent third-party testing
A Certificate of Analysis from an accredited lab, dated within the last 12 months, identified to a batch number that matches what's on the shelf. This is non-negotiable.
02
Transparency about origin
We want to know which farm or which region the product comes from — to a specific named source, not 'imported' or 'sustainably sourced'.
03
A named drying method
Spray-dried, vacuum-dried, low-temperature, or air-dried. Each has trade-offs; what matters is that the producer says which one they use.
04
A published phycocyanin percentage
Most producers don't print this. The ones who do are signalling confidence — and giving you the single best signal of freshness and gentle processing.
05
Editorial restraint
We don't trust brands that promise miracles. A producer that says 'a complete protein with iron and B-vitamins' has more credibility than one that says 'detoxes your body and boosts your immune system'.
By region
Brand recommendations are inherently regional — what’s available in Hanoi is different from what’s available in Hamburg. Below is a shape-of-the-world view of where good spirulina comes from, with examples of producers worth knowing about.
France
A small but exceptional producer scene, often closed-system or covered-pond, frequently certified organic. Lower volumes, higher transparency, premium pricing.
Producers worth knowing about
- · Algama
- · Spirulysat
- · Maison Spiruline
Spain, Italy, Greece
Mediterranean producers with a similar profile to France — small, often family-run, closed-system or covered-pond.
Producers worth knowing about
- · AlgaEnergy (Spain)
- · MyAlgae (Italy)
India
Outdoor pond cultivation dominant; the category is growing rapidly. The best Indian producers are now competitive on quality with Hawaii at a lower price point.
Producers worth knowing about
- · Parry Nutraceuticals (Parry's Wellness)
- · Sun Liquid
Taiwan
Long-established industrial producers, generally good quality control, mid-range pricing. The supply backbone of many private-label brands you see in Western health-food stores.
Producers worth knowing about
- · Far East Microalgae
- · FEBICO
China (Inner Mongolia)
The largest production region by volume. Wide quality range — premium and bulk-market both come from here. Independent testing is more important than usual.
Producers worth knowing about
- · DIC Lifetec (formerly DIC Corporation)
What this directory isn’t (yet)
This is a directory in progress. Individual brand-review pages with detailed testing-record analysis, drying-method specifics, and current pricing are coming online over the next months as we work through them. If you sell spirulina and would like your testing record reviewed, write to us. If you’re a buyer with strong opinions about a brand we should cover, we want to hear from you.
What we don’t cover
- Multi-level marketing (MLM) brands. We have no editorial interest in their model.
- Brands that decline to publish a CoA. Whatever else they may be, they’re below our minimum bar.
- Brands whose current marketing makes therapeutic medical claims (cancer, autoimmune cure, etc.). The legal and editorial issues are too tangled to engage with.
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