In B.C., a new generation of growers is reimagining what’s possible with plants. From perennial food systems to herbal medicine and ocean farming, these makers are blending traditional knowledge with modern entrepreneurship to cultivate a more resilient, plant-powered future.
Cicada Seeds | Errington
Michalina Hunter believes that perennial vegetables can transform our food systems. She started her business, Cicada Seeds, with the mission of making them more accessible.
Hunter came by this path naturally. Raised on a permaculture homestead on the Sunshine Coast, Hunter was introduced to sustainable agriculture in university. Later, she began learning about perennial vegetables—plants that live for more than two years—which were once commonly planted but became less so as farming industrialized. “Perennials can be less work for growers, better for soil health and carbon sequestration, and more resilient to pests and harsh conditions,” Hunter explains.
Determined to grow varieties that are unique to Canada, Hunter began sourcing and trialling seeds on her farm in Errington on Vancouver Island, and then selling those that thrived. “Regional seed producers and distributors that sell locally grown seeds are the foundation of a secure food system,” she says.
This year, she’s expanding production, hiring staff and launching trials with market gardeners to test perennial crops. “The benefits to farm ecology, climate and nutrition could be incredible if they were grown at scale,” Hunter emphasizes.
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Xálish Medicines | Yellow Point
Montana-born Jacqui Wilkins’s earliest memories are of being on the land, and in the garden with her parents. As a teenager, she created herbal baths, skincare formulas and aromatherapy blends for friends and family—“in the late ’90s, when it wasn’t something you could just learn on TikTok,” she laughs.
She later became a naturopathic doctor to deepen her work with plants. After graduating, she had a baby at home and grew a thriving garden with more than 50 medicinal herbs. Returning to her roots, she began crafting remedies for her community—and demand quickly grew. “I started by writing orders in a notepad, but it reached a point where I needed a website, and it evolved into a business from there,” explains Wilkins.
Soon, she founded Xálish Medicines. Today, based in Yellow Point on Vancouver Island, Wilkins offers close to a hundred products on her site, along with online courses for plant enthusiasts worldwide. “Our relationship with the earth is foundational to our health and wellness. That’s been a core understanding for me since childhood, coming from a mixed Indigenous background,” she says.
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West Coast Kelp | Bamfield
Tom Campbell saw an opportunity where the ocean meets entrepreneurship: kelp. These underwater forests support marine life and offer a sustainable industry for coastal communities shaped by the boom-and-bust cycles of fishing and forestry.
“The deeper I got into seaweeds, the more fascinated I became,” Campbell says. “Kelp is not only a critical habitat, it’s a regenerative resource—and a real opportunity for coastal communities.”
His journey began at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, where he studied seaweeds and then went on to grow kelp at commercial scale with Cascadia Seaweed. By 2022, he noticed a bottleneck: seed supply. “Without a reliable seed supplier, the entire supply chain is constrained,” shares Campbell.
He built a nursery in Bamfield—West Coast Kelp—to support farmers and restoration projects. “When we say ‘kelp seed,’ we mean the microscopic stage or juvenile kelp. We’re producing seedlings that can be deployed in the ocean,” he explains.
“At the end of the day, we’re just trying to grow more kelp.” Campbell adds. “Do that well, and everything else follows—healthier ecosystems, stronger communities and a more resilient coast.”
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