What is Natural Sea Salt?

Six times the minerals. Purely sun and sea.

I’m often asked the question: What makes Coromandel Sea Salt different? And with so much misinformation circulating about salt—some of it true, much of it half-truths or outright myths—it’s time to set the record straight.

As an agricultural scientist by training, I approach these questions from a scientific perspective, grounded in evidence, not trends or paid endorsements. Before social media and influencer culture, we relied on research, not rhetoric, to inform what we ate.

Let’s begin with the basics. Salt—sodium chloride (NaCl)—is essential to life. Around 0.4% of the human body is composed of salt. Health professionals agree we need approximately 2.6 grams per day to support basic physiological functions. But the real conversation isn’t about sodium chloride alone—it's about what else is (or isn’t) present in the salt we consume.

Understanding Minerality

Mineral-rich sea salts contain trace elements that are critical to health and wellbeing. These include magnesium, calcium, potassium, and more. But not all salts are created equal.

Refined table salt: Less than 1% mineral content
Himalayan rock salt: Around 1.1%
Typical flaky sea salts (e.g., Marlborough, Maldon): Around 1.0%

Why so low? Processing. Almost all commercially available salts—whether sea-derived or mined—are subjected to intense processing that strips away their natural mineral complexity. Just because a salt originated from the sea doesn’t mean it hasn’t been chemically treated or refined.

Himalayan salt, while unrefined, is rock salt sourced from underground and is mined. It’s not comparable in texture or taste to solar-evaporated sea salt, and despite its pink hue, its mineral content is only marginally higher than table salt.

Where Coromandel Sea Salt Stands Apart

Coromandel sea salt is truly unprocessed. We use no artificial heat, no chemical treatments, and no mechanical refining. Instead, we rely entirely on the age-old, natural method of solar evaporation. Seawater is collected from the pristine eastern Coromandel coastline—an area known for its nutrient-rich ocean currents and thriving marine ecosystems.

Using only sun and wind, we allow salt crystals to form slowly, locking in the full spectrum of naturally occurring minerals. Independent XRF spectrum mineral analysis by Independent NZ Laboratory - Verum Industries confirms that Coromandel Sea Salt contains a remarkable 6.7% mineral content—six times that of Himalayan rock salt or standard flaky sea salts.

Why Minerality Matters

High mineral content isn’t just a health advantage—it’s a flavour advantage. The distinctive taste of our salt comes directly from the elements within the water: magnesium for depth, calcium for sweetness and balance, potassium for a rounded briny edge. Our customers consistently describe our salt as fuller, cleaner, and more complex. A taste of the ocean.

The Methods Behind the Minerals

In the world of sea salt, there are three primary production approaches:

1. Artisan Solar Salt Farmers

This is our method. We use only wind and sun to evaporate seawater slowly over weeks or months. This preserves trace minerals, enhances flavour, and honours centuries of traditional salt-making.

2. Boiled Sea Salt Producers

These operations harvest seawater and concentrate it into brine, then boil it to around 65°C to force salt formation. While artisan in scale, boiling destroys most of the mineral content and character. Think about the buildup in your kettle from hard water—now imagine the impact of boiling seawater.

3. Industrial Salt Manufacturers

Some commercial operators, including a large New Zealand company, extract salt from seawater using vast evaporation ponds. While technically “solar salt,” these operations often suffer from poor environmental control. Salt water is left in the elements from 3-5 years with birds and other organisms living in the ponds. You can imagine the contaminants which result and hence its unfit for human consumption until its been heavily processed.

Commercial companies must refine salt made this way aggressively to remove contaminants—stripping away minerals and flavour in the process. The final product is a bland, often iodized salt that bears little resemblance to the complex, nutrient-rich salts once harvested by hand.

Verifying Our Claims

At Coromandel Sea Salt, our claims aren’t based on marketing—they’re based on science. Our sea salt is independently tested by Verum Industries using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, ensuring transparency and accuracy. We consistently rank high in essential elements such as:

Magnesium
Potassium
Calcium

These results reflect both our production process and the pristine marine environment in which we work—a region rich in shellfish, kelp, and marine biodiversity.

In Summary

Not all salts are equal. Most have been stripped of their natural mineral richness through industrial processes. At Coromandel Sea Salt, we do things differently: no shortcuts, no additives, no compromises. Just solar-evaporated, mineral-rich sea salt from one of the most untouched coastlines in the world.