Not long ago, Mike McNamara, who owns Hog Island Beer Company, was talking to a few friends, also small business owners, about creative partnerships.

The spring day was cold, but the greenhouse Jamie Bassett was standing in felt cozy as he and Richard Curtiss picked dried kelp from lines strung from the ceiling.

Chatham Kelp is growing seaweed to satisfy culinary cravings and help preserve the maritime culture.

Jamie Bassett, Carl Douglas, and Richard Curtiss, all Chatham fishermen, are working together to open a large kelp farm off Harding Beach in Chatham.