McKenzie Seeds is a seed packaging company founded in

Brandon, Manitoba Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and east of the ...

in 1896. Jiffy has moved production outside of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

with over 70 people working at their location in Brandon. It was established in 1896 by Dr. Albert Edward McKenzie, and claims to supply 60% of Canada's packet seed market. Its

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...

division sells seed under the brands McKenzie,

Thompson & Morgan Thompson & Morgan is an independently-owned company based in Ipswich, Suffolk. Founded in 1855, Thompson & Morgan offer English plants, seeds and sundries worldwide through their websites. The U.S. division of the company was sold to Gardens Alive ...

, Gusto Italia, and Pike, as well as other gardening products and accessories. Through a direct mail division it operates the brands McFayden and McConnell catalogues.

History

In 1945, 90% of the company shares passed from its founder to the Manitoba Government to benefit

Brandon College Brandon University is a university located in the city of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, with an enrollment of 3375 (2020) full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students. The current location was founded on July 13, 1899, as Brandon C ...

, the forerunner to

Brandon University Brandon University is a university located in the city of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, with an enrollment of 3375 (2020) full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students. The current location was founded on July 13, 1899, as Brandon Co ...

. The remaining shares were given to the government in 1975. McKenzie Seeds was run as a

Crown Corporation A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the governmen ...

until 1994 at which time it was sold to Regal Greetings and Gifts. In 2002, the management of McKenzie Seeds bought the company. In 2008, Jiffy International AS acquired McKenzie, and in 2012, it was acquired by Seed Holdings Inc. but would continue selling products under the "Jiffy" name. The business was merged into Plantation Products, a privately owned gardening company based in Massachusetts. Plantation Products later changed its name to Green Garden Products. In 2021, Central Garden & Pet acquired Green Garden Products and its brand names Ferry-Morse, American Seed, Livingston Seed, McKenzie, NK Lawn & Garden, Jiffy, SUPERthrive, Dyna-Gro and Seeds of Change.Central Garden & Pet Completes Acquisition of Green Garden
February 16, 2021, Business Wire

References

External links

* Agriculture companies of Canada Companies based in Brandon, Manitoba Agricultural organizations based in Manitoba Seed companies {{agri-stub