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Simpson Seeds a Trusted Family Owned Company
For more than 40 years, Simpson Seeds has been nourishing the world by selling millions of tonnes of lentils while sticking to its core values of family, quality, integrity and innovation. The company started out as a small family-run operation in Saskatchewan in the 1970s. When the Simpson family had its main farm southeast of Moose Jaw, father Jim saw the need to conduct more marketing for their products, to get away from the Canadian Wheat Board and diversify what they were growing. Meanwhile, son Greg had just graduated from the University of Saskatchewan and acquired a job with Agriculture Canada. He inspected seed growers in southwest Saskatchewan, where he developed the idea to grow seeds, clean seeds on their farm, and then retail them to help diversify the family farm. Greg began growing peas in 1975, and by 1980, the family had experience to take on lentils and become a mixed farm. On Aug. 13, 1979, Simpson Seeds was incorporated, and the family built a plant on their property in the winter of 1980. In 1992, the family bought property on Moose Jaw’s North Service Road — which had nothing on it then — and built a cleaning
Brothers John and Greg Simpson pose for a picture in front of their seed cleaning plant, which is located on the North Service Road. and processing plant. They also Farmers trust Simpson Seeds for expanded the rail spur so they two reasons: it is family and it is could have access to the railroad a community Canadian family to ship their products. business. What’s also important The company bought Kyle Seeds is the company meets its obligaand its elevator in southwest Sastions when serving customers, katchewan in 2008, along with wherever and whomever they that company’s processing plant may be. in Swift Current. Simpson Seeds With the earth’s population eximproved the plant, before makpected to grow to nine billion ing a major expansion three years people in 2050, many people ago. The company later shut will need protein to sustain themdown the elevator in Kyle. selves. Canada is well-positioned Simpson Seeds expanded into to feed the world; the future organic seeds in 2018 due to malooks promising. jor customer demand, especially There is the potential for Simpfrom its European customers. son Seeds to expand into the fiWhile the Simpson family farm bre market. Besides high-protein southeast of Moose Jaw has now foods such as lentils and chickbeen certified as an organic site, peas, fibre is also known to be the company’s main focus is still healthy, so the opportunity exists on lentils. for this market, too.
