From the Shoreline to the Dinner Table: How One Jersey Entrepreneur Is Turning the Ocean Into Gold—One Jar at a Time
If you’ve strolled the beaches of Asbury Park recently, you might have seen a determined figure wading into the surf, buckets in hand and boots in the sand. That would be Danielle Hickson, the founder of Asbury Park Sea Salt—a homegrown small business that’s literally harvesting flavor straight from the Jersey Shore.
While most beachgoers come for the sun and sand, Hickson comes for the seawater, hauling up to 40 gallons at a time back to her kitchen in Tinton Falls. From that moment on, she begins a meticulous, multi-day process that transforms the Atlantic Ocean into a gourmet finishing salt—delicate, flaky, and packed with local character.
This isn’t your everyday seasoning. This is Jersey salt, handcrafted with precision and passion.
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🌊 A Taste of Inspiration: The Spark Behind the Salt
It all started with a moment of curiosity and an Instagram post. Hickson, who already held an MBA from Rutgers and had long dabbled in creative pursuits from music to teaching, stumbled across a DIY sea salt tutorial in late 2023. While others might have scrolled past, she sprinted—literally—to the shore with an empty bottle in hand.
From there, her new obsession took off. “I said to myself, ‘I’m never eating table salt again,’” Hickson recalls. “And then I realized—I can turn this into something real.”
Armed with determination and a copy of Chemistry for Dummies, she invested over $2,500 in tools and set out to perfect her process. Her goal? To create a sea salt worthy of elite kitchens but made from the waters she’s loved since childhood.
🧂 Science, Salt, and Saltwater Grit
Creating artisanal sea salt is no small task. After collecting the ocean water, Hickson filters, boils, and evaporates the liquid through a carefully honed process that takes nearly a week from start to finish. The end product is light, flaky, and bursting with the minerality that only the Atlantic can provide.
The process isn’t without challenges. From spilled brine wreaking havoc on her kitchen floor to the delicate balance of temperature and salinity, every batch is both a science experiment and a labor of love.
“I feel like a chemist sometimes,” she laughs, “but one who smells like the beach and salt spray.”
🚗 Local Roots, Limitless Vision
While Hickson’s business is currently a Monmouth County exclusive—thanks to New Jersey’s Cottage Food Operator Permit that limits deliveries to in-person only—her vision reaches far beyond. She sells at local markets like Bell Works Fresh and Asbury Fresh, and she’s already eyeing a commercial leap with help from the Asbury Park Food Collective, which supports up-and-coming food entrepreneurs with shared commercial kitchens and business resources.
“Right now, it’s one jar at a time,” Hickson says. “But next year? I want to be a name people know when they think of high-quality East Coast sea salt.”
The expansion would allow her to ship across state lines, scale production, and even land retail partnerships—while still keeping her roots deeply planted in the Jersey sand.
🏖️ Authentic, Sustainable, and Proudly Jersey-Made
What makes Asbury Park Sea Salt truly special is its story—a product born not from a corporate kitchen or factory but from the heart of the Jersey Shore. It’s sustainability in action, using local, natural resources with minimal processing. It’s a love letter to the ocean, bottled in a glass jar.
Hickson has created something more than a product; she’s built a movement around coastal flavor, local pride, and women-led innovation.
And the community is responding. Beachgoers know her as “Salt Girl,” market shoppers line up for her latest batches, and fans are already asking when they can get her salt in stores.
📈 New Jersey’s Small Business Scene Is Thriving
Hickson’s journey is one of many in New Jersey’s growing ecosystem of small business innovation. From local artisans to tech startups, the Garden State is becoming a hub for creative entrepreneurs who are bringing bold ideas to life—especially in the food, sustainability, and lifestyle spaces.
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🧂 Final Sprinkle: From Sea to Table
With nearly 1,000 jars sold in just her first year, Danielle Hickson’s dream is quickly becoming a staple on kitchen counters across New Jersey—and soon, hopefully, beyond. Her salt isn’t just a seasoning; it’s a flavor of place, crafted with Jersey grit, chemistry, and soul.
So next time you’re seasoning a dish, imagine it with a pinch of the Atlantic—collected by hand, refined with care, and seasoned with the heart of the Shore.
Because in New Jersey, we don’t just go to the beach. We build businesses from it.
Want to support local innovators like Danielle Hickson? Follow along with our latest stories on New Jersey’s rising entrepreneurs, culinary artisans, and creative makers right here on Explore New Jersey.
