LADNER GERMINATES
New home to seed firm
On the wettest day in June — it was pouring! — I had the pleasure of attending the grand opening of West Coast Seeds’ new facility in Ladner.
Located on a 16-acre certified organic farm, this well-known B.C. seed company now features two acres of trial grounds, a 400-square-metre propagation greenhouse and state-of-the-art seed storage as well as shipping, sales and administration in a converted barn. A heritage farmhouse serves as a meeting facility for the company and, upon request, for community groups.
The company, now owned by the distinguished Diamond family who are fourth-generation, B.C.-based business entrepreneurs, is committed to the original values established by West Coast Seeds from its earliest beginnings: To provide the finest quality of untreated, non-GMO, open-pollinated, mostly organic and F1 (hybrid) seeds for home gardens and small organic farms.
The founder of West Coast Seeds was Mary Ballon, a nurse who had a passion for quality, locally grown produce. Back in the early 1980s, Ballon had a difficult time finding quality organic seeds. In collaboration with other folks focused on organic growing, such as Steve Solomon, who founded the Territorial Seed Company, Ballon started West Coast Seeds in 1985 to provide “the best quality, fattest seeds with great germination.” It was very important to her that her seeds perform well in Canada’s Pacific Southwest with its short season, cool nights and often very wet weather, and she trialtested the seeds, both vegetable and flower varieties, in her own garden to evaluate each one’s performance.
I remember the hard work Ballon did in those early days, going to so many garden shows with her seed displays, speaking tirelessly to garden clubs and associations, as well as presenting seed and vegetable growing seminars in garden stores. She was dedicated to promoting new and better varieties for our West Coast gardens and to growing them organically from seed.
She created a great reputation for the company. Around 2008, Ballon sold to Jeanette McCall, who further expanded the business while maintaining its values and culture of organics.
Last year the Diamond family purchased the company and moved it to the new location in Ladner, positioning it to grow and succeed well into the future. I had the pleasure of speaking with Craig Diamond about their vision for West Coast Seeds.
“This is a feel-good company,” he said. “It’s about doing the right thing with organics and non-GMO seeds.”
Diamond spoke of an old teaching that guides their progress: “Tikkun Olam” (Learning to Give) is a Jewish concept defined by acts of kindness performed to perfect or repair the world, making it a better place. The family’s goal is to make West Coast Seeds the best organic non-GMO seed company in Canada.
This new location will enable them to conduct more extensive seed trials as they work with both the UBC Botanical Garden and the Kwantlen Farm School. As well, the company has trials being conducted in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. The Ladner location is also testing vegetables for the prestigious All American Selections program.
I asked Diamond how they keep up with the seemingly endless new flower and vegetable varieties, and he said their key management staff travel extensively, constantly looking for improved plant introductions.
All of their seeds are packed on site in biodegradable packets. They are certified organic by the Pacific Agricultural Certification Society and are audited yearly. All seeds have been tested by a third-party seed laboratory for phyto certification, purity and germination.
Over the past 30 years, West Coast Seeds’ full-time staff has grown to more than 25 employees, with up to 55 folks picking, packing and manning the phones during the main season.
Diamond says the company’s market is primarily home gardeners and the smaller organic farmer. Their growing guide/ catalogue alone is a valuable resource for both novice and experienced gardeners; its focus is to provide education and information for people to grow food successfully. Independent garden stores across the country sell West Coast Seeds, and they have been a growth market for them.
It is great to see a grassroots Canadian company grow and expand while maintaining its core values. The Diamond family deeply cares about the success of West Coast Seeds and their customers. They also support many local and overseas communities by their seed donations and school fundraising programs that have enabled numerous schools to start gardening programs.