Vegetable Seeds
Flower Seeds
Roots and Tubers
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About Us
Hope Seeds is a small but committed seed company, with a dedication to
local and sustainable agriculture since our beginning in 1993.
Andrea Berry (that's me!) runs this little but growing company as the
owner and a grower, building on the original vision of founder Kim
Edmondson of Keswick Ridge:
Passion for seed saving; commitment to sustainable agriculture; and securing local food systems for future generations. We put this vision into practice a number of ways.
We grow varieties that do well in our changing Maritime climate, selecting seed that is adapted to organic production.
It has been proven time and again that growing our food using
organic principles of soil building, enhancing biodiversity, practicing
preventative pest and disease control, and utilizing non-GMO seed and
breeding stock has a positive and long-lasting impact on people and our
environment. Successful organic production is dependent on seed
that performs well under these conditions - and Hope Seeds produces all
of its seed for this end. In fact, 2007 was our "organic
transition" year with Maritime Certified Organic Growers,
and in 2008 we will be fully certified organic. Just an extra
assurance to you that we're farming for future generations.
Hope Seeds offers a wide range of seeds that bigger companies have overlooked, maintaining many rare and heritage selections. These seeds arrive in Hope Seeds' hands through local and national seed exchanges such as Seeds of Diversity Canada,
through neighbours and gardening friends, and from many customers.
The stories are rich, and add so much to the adventure of growing
gardens and food. Keeping these seeds and stories alive is a great
honour, and we take our stewardship very seriously. Diversity in
our seed, our fields and our food is the best way to build a resilient
and strong agricultural system.
 We grow what we sell!
This means we prioritize selling seed to those who grow their own
food, and food for others in their communities. We depend on our
own seed and fields for our food - just like you - and understand the
need for top quality seed that performs best in organic fields and
gardens. Our season is short (about 90 days frost-free), our
soil is not the
best, and we do the majority of work by hand (including tinkering
on the ol' rototiller and half-ton). We have good crops and bad
ones, and gripes with pests and unexpected frosts - all impacting the
products we can offer, but rest assured we never accept second-best.
Growing our own seed is just one of the things that sets
Hope Seeds apart from the majority of seed companies out there.
Our seed quality testing goes
beyond simple
germination tests, to seed-borne disease and purity. Our
germination standards not only meet but often exceed requirements put
forward by the Federal Department of Agriculture in the Canada Seeds
Act. This is all to makes sure you are putting the best seed
possible into your fields and gardens.
I use "we" because even though it is largely a "one-woman show", I'm dependent on the Hope Seeds Grower Network.
These are other organic and sustainable family farms in Eastern
Canada that have been carefully selected to work and grow with Hope
Seeds. Many of these farms have been farming organically for
decades - pioneers in their field, often hosting interns, apprentices
and volunteers with whom to pass on their skills and experiences.
Others are budding young organic farmers that have taken the leap
into sustainable food production, coming from diverse backgrounds, but
ready to work hard and apply their rapidly expanding knowledge. When
you plant a little "Hope", you know that you're supporting these farms
to continue their stewardship of our future generation's planet.
They include: Ernst Arnold of Upper Knowlesville, NB; Brighton Botanicals of Upper Brighton, NB; Good Spring Farm of Keswick Ridge, NB; Mapple Farm of Weldon, NB; La ferme coopérative Tourne-Sol of Les Cèdres, QC; Chris White of Kent Bridge, ON; Everdale in Hillsburgh, ON, and yes - Kim Edmondson continues to grow for Hope Seeds as well. Special mention goes out to Leland Wong-Daugherty, a good friend and owner of Artful Acre Design whose signature work is seen in this website, logo and all of our 2008 packet labels.
Hope Seeds actively supports the development and sharing of organic
farming and seed saving information and skill, through our membership
and volunteering with organizations such as Seeds of Diversity Canada; Seed Savers Exchange; Canadian Organic Growers; Maritime Certified Organic Growers and Atlantic Canadian Organic Growers Network.
We're very committed to expanding and developing our own skill in seed
production, and in 2007 hit the road to see how the "other guys" do it.
Visiting many of other small seed producers/companies in Ontario,
Vermont and Maine was a huge eye-opening experience, and we've been
able to adapt many of the ideas that were shared into Hope Seeds.
For a bit more on this experience, please check out Growing Knowledge about Growing Seed, an article I wrote for the Winter 2008 ACORN newsletter. Similarly, I made strong connections with Tom Stearns of High Mowing Seeds
in Wolcott, Vermont in 2007. I spent the last week of November
2007 in an "intensive internship" at HMS, getting my hands on bigger
seed production and cleaning equipment, hanging out in the lab and
inventory warehouse, and snooping through marketing, financial and
production records. Tom has been a great mentor in both the seed
production and business side of things, opening the doors to much of
his ideas, experience and inspiration. Both
of these learning ventures were financially supported by the NB
Department of Agriculture and Aquaculture, through the "Renewal" and
"Organic Development Initiative" programs.
 So
hopefully that gives you a better idea of who we are and why we're
doing what we do. We warmly welcome your questions, ideas and
suggestions, and love to hear from you. Visit the contact us page for ways to get in touch.
Cheers,
Andrea
Andrea Berry, Owner & Grower
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