McKenzie Seeds is a seed packaging company

Seed company

Seed companies produce and sell seeds for flowers, fruit and vegetables to theamateur gardener. The production of seed is a multi billion dollar business, which usesgrowing facilities and growing locations world wide. While most seed is produced by large...

 which has over 200 employees and is based in Brandon, Manitoba

Brandon, Manitoba

Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...

. It was established in 1896 by Dr. Albert Edward McKenzie, and is now Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

's foremost seed supplier with 60% of the market. http://www.statpub.com/open/17308.html

Its retail

Retail

Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...

 division sells seed under the brands McKenzie, Thompson & Morgan, Gusto Italia, and Pike, as well as other gardening products and accessories. Through a direct mail

Direct mail

Advertising mail, also known as direct mail, junk mail, or admail, is the delivery of advertising material to recipients of postal mail. The delivery of advertising mail forms a large and growing service for many postal services, and direct-mail marketing forms a significant portion of the direct...

 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, the forerunner to Brandon University

Brandon University

Brandon University is a Canadian university located in the city of Brandon, Manitoba, with an enrolment of 3383 full-time and part-time students. The current location was founded on July 13, 1899, as Brandon College as a Baptist institution. It was chartered as a university by then President Dr....

. The remaining shares were given to the government in 1975. McKenzie Seeds was run as a Crown Corporation until 1994 at which time it was sold to Regal Greetings and Gifts.

On July 29, 2002 the management of McKenzie Seeds bought the company. The company remained under local ownership until November 2006. On November 3, 2006, newspaper reports confirmed the sale of McKenzie to Norwegian seed company Jiffy International, parent of American company, Jiffy Ferry-Morse.