Cows, seaweed, and saving the planet sounds like an absurd combination. But founder and CEO of CH4 Global Steve Meller says otherwise.
“What would you do if you had a year left?”
This was a question from a prime minister of a Pacific Island nation at a New Zealand conference regarding rising ocean waters and relocating its citizens to Fiji. Steve Meller, who had just given a panel on the future of transportation and electrification, described the “embarrassing silence” in the lunch session. Always wanting to take the “road less travelled” and with knowledge in biology and technology, he thought, “I can solve the problem if I grow asparagopsis at a massive scale.”
And so, CH4 Global started that day in late 2018.
CH4 Global is an ag-tech company committed to reducing methane production in livestock. With methane being one of the most potent greenhouse gases, and cattle its largest contributor with 1.5 billion cows globally, livestock methane emissions have become equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas output of entire nations.
Methane reduction is a priority for climate action. Unlike carbon dioxide, methane is far shorter-lived in the atmosphere but up to 84 times more powerful over a 20-year period, making it a critical target for rapid climate action. Despite global commitments, total emissions have continued to rise, with only the COVID-19 pandemic creating a temporary dip.
According to Meller, tackling methane from cattle offers one of the fastest opportunities for measurable impact. By targeting the largest single source of methane, CH4 Global addresses a problem equivalent to more than 10 times Australia’s total annual greenhouse emissions. Its work does not remove beef or dairy from the food system but makes it sustainable, offering continuity for consumers alongside environmental benefits.
“Coming up with new food products is not the answer,” said Meller. “We aim to reinvent existing food products to be more sustainable and acceptable, and even desirable, by consumers.”
CH4 Global is focusing on one solution – asparagopsis.
What is asparagopsis?
Asparagopsis is a type of seaweed easily identified by its distinct red colour. It naturally produces compounds that deter marine species from eating it. These same compounds also inhibit methane formation in cattle. When added to cattle feed at very small amounts, it has been scientifically proven to reduce methane emissions from cows by up to 90 per cent by blocking the enzymes that produce methane in the animal’s rumen.
“We’re using nature to solve nature’s problem,” said Meller.
For Meller, the aim is not incremental change but global scale, with a goal of reaching 150 million cows within the next decade. However, the challenge is not the seaweed’s effectiveness, but how to grow, process and stabilise it economically at a commercial scale.
“You can certainly grow asparagopsis in the ocean, but it’s not commercially feasible due to variables such as temperature,” he said. “So, we made the decision to grow it on land.”
On the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, the company has built the first commercial-scale facility of its kind, using tanks the size of “two lanes of an Olympic swimming pool”, 50 metres long and six metres wide. It contains close to 175,000 litres of seawater which is circulated to cultivate the crop. When CH4 Global chose to grow the seaweed on land, it had to consider living conditions for optimum growth such as sunlight, nutrients and temperature. With careful control of light, nutrients and density, the company can produce consistent asparagopsis of high quality.
According to Meller, processing is equally complex. Wet seaweed is unsuitable for the cattle supply chain, and processing methods like drying must avoid breaking down the volatile compounds that make it effective. Trying to eliminate water weight and stabilise the material is possible with current engineering technologies. However, the cost of energy or equipment is not viable, especially when its mission is to reduce carbon emissions globally.
To counter this, CH4 Global has adapted existing equipment and developed proprietary methods to remove water efficiently, stabilise the product and keep costs low. A key focus is cost reduction. As he described, farmers operate on thin margins and will only adopt innovations if they see economic benefit. By bringing down production costs, the company ensures that any price paid by consumers remains low, yet sufficient to reward farmers for participating in the system. This approach integrates sustainability with commercial viability.
Partnerships across the chain
For CH4 Global, partnerships are central. Meller outlined three factors within the chain that needed collaborative and collective partnerships for the success of lowering methane production. It will be the farmers who will feed the product to their herds. Rather than imposing new systems, the company works with early adopters to ensure the seaweed can be seamlessly added to existing routines.
“We want to work within the system so they have with no new habits or practices,” said Meller. “We need to partner with them to create synergy and business growth.”
On the other end are consumers who are looking for value in their beef or milk products. For many consumers, claims such as “low methane” or “low carbon” lack resonance compared with taste, quality and price. CH4 Global draws on consumer research and insights to develop meaningful messaging that connects, much like the way organic or grass-fed labelling has succeeded. By ensuring that the added value is clear and compelling, the company positions its product as both sustainable and desirable.
The middle of the chain includes processors, retailers and governments. Processors need confidence in consistency, retailers want products that sell, and governments are increasingly encouraging agricultural innovation. By aligning these groups, CH4 Global builds an ecosystem that supports adoption at scale.
Stocking ‘guilt-free’ beef
The company has begun introducing beef reared with asparagopsis into retail channels. In Adelaide, Windsor Meats became the first butcher to stock the “guilt-free” beef product with the aim of achieving integration into the state’s economy and community. Additionally, at its EcoPark in Louth Bay, CH4 Global currently operates 10 large-scale asparagopsis cultivation ponds. Expansion work is underway that will increase production tenfold, enough to supply 45,000 cattle each day.
Working with international companies including Mitsubishi in Japan, Chipotle in the US, Lotte in South Korea and UPL in India and Brazil, CH4 Global is committed to its philosophy of making existing foods better rather than replacing them. Meller believes reinvention of familiar products can achieve greater impact than new alternatives and do so in a shorter time frame.
The long-term vision is to embed asparagopsis across the livestock sector globally, turning a natural seaweed into a cornerstone of climate action.
“We all live on one planet, in one atmosphere,” said Meller. “We are focused on the global scale and that’s what drives me and the company.”