Seabuckthorn International, Inc.—The First Seabuckthorn Company in North America
According to Susan McLoughlin, the President and CEO of Seabuckthorn International, Inc. (SII), the first seabuckthorn plant came to North American in Manitoba, Canada in 1938. Susan and her late husband Colin discovered the plant in 1991. At that time, they were living in Maple Ridge, B.C. and had a nursery. Colin was interested in developing erosion control plans and was investigating vetiver grass. Knowing that China was using it, Colin contacted an officer with the World Bank. He agreed that vetiver grass would work in Canada’s climate but suggested seabuckthorn.
“The information we received also included seabuckthorn’s nutritional properties,” says Susan. “We were immediately captivated. Around the same time, we decided to move to the Okanagan Valley where Agriculture Canada has a phenomenal research center in Summerland. We ordered seeds and started to grow plants. The scientific community in Summerland were very helpful, particularly Bill Schroeder. We sold cuttings all over Canada. Colin became known as the Johnny Appleseed of seabuckthorn in Canada. I realized that we didn’t have a market for the seabuckthorn so I started making products.
“Colin died in 2001. People were keen for me to continue. In 2003, our brand became SBT Seabuckthorn and we incorporated as Seabuckthorn International, Inc. Today, our plants come from Saskatchewan. Its cold winters and hot and sunny summers have the right climate. We purchase additional seabuckthorn oils from Mongolia. Even after more than 20 years, I’m still amazed at what an incredible plant seabuckthorn is!”