The History of Halifax Seed Company
Halifax Seed Company is Canada's oldest continuously run seed company, operating since 1866 in the heart of Halifax, Nova Scotia. A constant in gardens across the country, we've always been dedicated to offering the highest quality vegetable, herb, and flower seeds as well as all the tools and supplies you need to help your garden thrive. Today Halifax Seed is operated by 4th generation owners and sisters Emily and Ali Tregunno. Now in our 160th year, with a history as rich as Nova Scotia's soil, we're looking back on the journey of growth and perserverance that made us who we are today.
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1800s
The Origins of Halifax Seed Company
Halifax Seed first opened in 1866 as a small seed merchant in downtown Halifax. Its brick and mortar store and annual seed catalogue served the farmers and home growers of Nova Scotia and the surrounding colonies, which one year later would form the Dominion of Canada. For over 50 years, the shop on Granville Street stood as a trusted place for gardeners and farmers to purchase seeds and tools for the garden.
As Canada grew and Halifax Seed’s mail order department expanded, the store moved in 1911 to a larger space one block north on Granville Street.
Alfred Tregunno was born in 1893 near Hamilton, Ontario, and grew up working on his family’s fruit farm. As an adult, Fred spent more than a decade as a salesman on the road for the Steele-Briggs Seed Company, learning the ins and outs of the seed trade.
In 1925, the owner of Halifax Seed Company passed and Fred was called on to assist in the valuation of the business. Halifax Seed had been one of Fred’s customers for years, and he saw great promise in the business. On May 31st, 1925 Fred purchased the business and, together with his wife Molly and their young children, embarked on a new journey in Nova Scotia.
1930–1940
Fred Tregunno continued to operate Halifax Seed from the store on Granville Street, selling vegetable, flower, and forage seeds to customers from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland. After just a few years the business outgrew that space and moved up the street to the stone building at 151 Granville Street (now 1887 Granville). This location is now home to a flower shop, but a trace of Halifax Seed’s history can still be found in the original tiled entryway inset with the word SEEDS!
During the Second World War, a shortage of workers meant that Fred’s son Warren had to leave his undergraduate studies at Mount Allison University to return home. Warren jumped in to work full time alongside his father, becoming the second generation of the Tregunno family to join the business. Throughout these challenging years, Halifax Seed continued to supply seeds for farmers and home gardens through the “Wartime Editions” of the annual seed catalogue.
In the late 1940s, with the war behind them, it was once again time to look to the future. Fred and Warren purchased the Carter Seed Company of Charlottetown, PEI, which would become the newest branch of Halifax Seed and give the company a strong presence on the island for years to come.
1950
In the mid 1950s, the Tregunnos saw a new opportunity in Saint John, New Brunswick when the National Packing Company closed its doors. National Packing had long filled the horticulture niche in the province, and their closure left behind both a gap in the market and the perfect location for a retail store. Fred purchased both their inventory and building, which would become the newest branch of Halifax Seed Company. The Saint John location eventually moved to Rothesay Avenue, where it remains today.
In 1957, Fred’s youngest son Paul graduated with a degree in Commerce from Dalhousie University and joined his father and brother in the family business.
1960
At the beginning of the decade Fred unexpectedly passed, leaving Halifax Seed in the hands of his sons. Though they hadn’t expected to inherit the business so soon, Warren and Paul took the reins and continued their father’s work with enthusiasm. The 1960s proved to be a booming decade for Halifax Seed as the company celebrated a full century in business.
Amidst this success, the landscape of downtown Halifax was shifting as indoor shopping centres began to draw customers away from the downtown core. The city was becoming more urban by the day, and home gardening was no longer the norm as it had been in the 40s and 50s.
By the late 60s, the brothers made the decision to move the store to a larger space on Agricola and Kane Street. Out of the crowded downtown core, the new location housed a larger warehouse that could better support the business’s busy wholesale division. With more room to grow, Halifax Seed expanded into golf course supplies, outdoor power equipment, and garden plants. The Kane Street property remains the home of Halifax Seed’s head office, and the retail store and seasonal outdoor garden centre continue to proudly serve the patrons of North End Halifax and beyond.
1970
Halifax Seed’s pattern of growth continued into the 70s. A new warehouse, showroom, and service shop were built on Kane Street where the company’s commercial division still resides. At the same time, a new retail store and offices were constructed in Saint John and a new warehouse was added in 1979. In PEI, the store was relocated from downtown Charlottetown to a new property in East Royalty.
The third generation of the Tregunno family joined Halifax Seed Company in 1979 when Tim Tregunno completed his Business degree at the University of New Brunswick. Tim would play a key role in expanding sales and supporting day-to-day operations, and his dedicated and compassionate style of work would have a profound impact on the company’s culture.
1980
As business boomed in the 1980s, the company made the decision to focus operations in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and sold the PEI store to its local manager. While it was hard to say goodbye to the team in Charlottetown, Halifax Seed continues to serve the gardeners and professional growers of the Island through the seed catalogue and commercial services.
Mike Barclay, brother of Tim’s wife Nancy, joined the team in 1983.
In 1987 Warren Tregunno retired and Paul Tregunno split the equipment division into its own company, Eastern Turf Products. This left Halifax Seed Company in the hands of the third generation of Tregunnos, Tim, and his brother in law Mike. With two successful retail locations serving Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and a growing commercial team travelling throughout the Atlantic Provinces, they were ready for the next chapter.
1990
Halifax Seed Company’s commercial division, which serves a wide range of professional growers and landscapers, garden centres, and golf courses, continued to grow through the late 80s and 90s. In 1991 Halifax Seed acquired the assets of Organix, a national horticulture business based in Debert, NS. The Debert warehouse continues to serve as the company’s main distribution hub, linking the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia branches and serving horticulture professionals across Atlantic Canada.
In 1994 Halifax Seed won first place in the prestigious international TAPPI CORRPAK awards for the design of a new rotating seed displays. These displays were distributed across Atlantic Canada as part of the consignment seed program, bringing Halifax Seed packets to farmers markets, garden centres, and other retail stores in dozens of communities.
The following year Tim became a Director of the Canadian Seed Trade Association (now part of Seeds Canada). The Tregunnos also had the honor of acting as hosts for the CTSA’s annual conference in Newfoundland.
In 1999, a much beloved mural was painted on the exterior of the Kane Street location. While the mural was covered in the process of necessary building repairs in the late 2010s, it was a vibrant part of the business for two decades and is remembered with great affection.
2000
As interest in environmental and eco-friendly products grew in the 2000s, Halifax Seed became the first company in Atlantic Canada to promote and sell beneficial insects for pest control.
In 2003, Tim served as the President of the Canadian Seed Trade Association, and the family hosted the annual conference once again as it took place in Halifax.
The 2000s also saw the 4th generation of the Tregunno family join the company. Emily Tregunno, after graduating from Saint Mary’s University, joined Halifax Seed in 2006 to focus on marketing and building the company’s online presence. Emily would also take over for her father as the face of garden expertise on CTV Atlantic’s Live at 5 Garden Guide segment, which continues to air on a weekly basis during the gardening season.
From 2005 to 2008, while attending university Ali Tregunno worked part time with the Halifax team supporting the retail store and the seed rack program.
2010
The 2010s brought great challenges to Halifax Seed and the Tregunno family when Tim suddenly stepped back from his role as head of the business. He had been diagnosed with cancer in 2005, but kept word of his diagnosis within the family and continued to work for as long as he was able. Despite the difficulty of this time the entire Halifax Seed team rallied together, keeping the business running while supporting Tim and his family.
Ali joined the team full time in 2010 as a New Brunswick sales representative. She quickly built relationships with vendors and customers, building a deep knowledge of industry trends.
Tim passed away in 2012, but his legacy still lives on. He was honoured with a memorial garden at NSCC Kingstec, where he had been a great supporter of the horticulture program. That same year, Halifax Seed received the Family Enterprise of the Year award, a recognition of the Tregunno family’s contributions to their community and the landscape of Canadian family business.
In 2014, Ali relocated to New Brunswick to become branch manager at the Saint John location. Two years later in 2016, Emily and Ali purchased shares in the business, cementing their commitment to continuing the Tregunno legacy at Halifax Seed.
2020
The 2020s have been a period of rapid change, both for Halifax Seed and the world at large. The pandemic sparked a renewed interest in home gardening and the company adapted quickly, launching a new website and e-commerce platform to serve gardeners stuck at home all across Canada. As part of this initiative, the company participated in a program with Halifax Partnership and eBay to prepare for the online launch.
Gardening continued to grow as a hobby in the following years as a larger demographic of people became interested in growing their own vegetables and flowers. In a 2022 interview with Dal News, Emily said "The great thing about home gardening is you can make it what you want; you can have one container, or you can supplement all of your vegetables. It is so rewarding to see customers who picked up the hobby in 2020 still coming in."
In 2023, Emily and Ali Tregunno officially became Co-CEOs, marking the 4th generation of the Tregunno family to lead the company. The sisters are proud to carry on their family’s legacy while looking toward the future of Halifax Seed.
Media Attribution
Catalogue Covers - The Halifax Seed Company Archives
Seed Packets - The Halifax Seed Company Archives
Saint John and Halifax store photos - The Halifax Seed Company Archives
Tregunno Family photos courtesy of the Tregunno Family
Granville Street, 1871 - Joseph S. Rogers Nova Scotia Archives negative N-424
Pre-1950 News Clippings - Newspapers.com
Carter Seed Company site image - Charlottetown Stories
Paul Tregunno, 1957 Dalhousie Yearbook - Dalhousie University. (1957). "Pharos: Dalhousie University Yearbook 1957". Halifax: Dalhousie University
120th Anniversary Features - The Chronicle Herald
1988 Article - The Chronicle Herald2005 Germination Magazine Article - Seed World
Garden Guide Segments - CTV News Atlantic
2013 Article - The Globe and Mail
2012 Article - Kings County Advertiser
Kane Street interior photo - Dal News
Catalogue Covers - The Halifax Seed Company Archives
Seed Packets - The Halifax Seed Company Archives
Saint John and Halifax store photos - The Halifax Seed Company Archives
Tregunno Family photos courtesy of the Tregunno Family
Granville Street, 1871 - Joseph S. Rogers Nova Scotia Archives negative N-424
Pre-1950 News Clippings - Newspapers.com
Carter Seed Company site image - Charlottetown Stories
Paul Tregunno, 1957 Dalhousie Yearbook - Dalhousie University. (1957). "Pharos: Dalhousie University Yearbook 1957". Halifax: Dalhousie University
120th Anniversary Features - The Chronicle Herald
1988 Article - The Chronicle Herald2005 Germination Magazine Article - Seed World
Garden Guide Segments - CTV News Atlantic
2013 Article - The Globe and Mail
2012 Article - Kings County Advertiser
Kane Street interior photo - Dal News