A family-owned, Nova Scotian business with a worldwide reach, Acadian Seaplants has been harvesting seaweed in Atlantic Canada for over 40 years. Inspired by a fascination with using seaweed to fertilise home gardens, the company used science-based research to build a diverse aquatic plant product line and enter a global market. Still in the family, Acadian Seaplants has business dealings in over 80 countries.

Early inspiration
Louis Deveau grew up in rural Nova Scotia and had an early interest in watching his father’s vegetable garden flourish after being fertilised with seaweed. Once Deveau graduated from university, he worked for the Federal Department of Fisheries, and his passion for the marine industry and aquatic plants led to a job procuring seaweed for Marine Colloids. Initially, he collected and dried seaweed from Atlantic Canada, and his 12-year career with the organisation brought him around the world.

When Marine Colloids was acquired, Deveau saw an opportunity to utilise his unique expertise. He acquired the company’s Canadian assets and established Acadian Seaplants in 1981 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Grown from the sea
Deveau started small, running the business from his son’s old bedroom with just one customer, his previous employer, who bought seaweed for their U.S. production facilities. In 1986, his son Jean-Paul joined him to grow operations, and they leased office space in Dartmouth for their small team of four.

Knowing the industry, Louis decided early on not to enter competitive markets like carrageenan extraction. Instead, the first product the Deveaus developed was a dehydrated seaweed animal feed supplement. Similar products were available seasonally from European producers, but Acadian differentiated itself on quality and year-round availability. This growth led to Acadian’s next major product in 1991, a seaweed extract used to fertilise other plants, which has become its largest product line.

Jean-Paul Deveau says that since the early days, Acadian has prioritised investing in scientific research. Before hiring its first scientist in 1995, Acadian worked with institutions like the National Research Council in Halifax to do thorough research and development when creating new products. Over time, Acadian grew a team of over 35 scientists dedicated to product innovation and ensuring its seaweed harvesting remains sustainable.

Acadian has also always had a global focus. Deveau shared a story about following up his father’s recommendation and flying to Japan to meet with a potential client in the 1980s. Jean-Paul proudly landed about seven or eight new customers on the trip, many of whom Acadian still works with.

Family tides
Today, Acadian Seaplants has just under 500 employees located in 22 different countries. It exports products to over 80 different countries and has manufacturing facilities in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ireland and Scotland, as well as other business operations across the globe.

“It’s been quite the journey to go from my old bedroom to where we are today”, says Jean-Paul Deveau, now executive chairman and co-owner with his father Louis, who’s still involved in the business at 94 years old. As for the third generation, Jean-Paul’s son worked his way to Director of Engineering with the company and is currently taking a break to pursue his MBA at Harvard. •