Here at SucSeed we are committed to helping the world grow! We believe that bringing people together through growing food will create a better world for us all. SucSeed grew out of the Enactus Memorial volunteer organization at Memorial University of Newfoundland. In 2017, the transition was made from a student volunteer project to a stand alone social enterprise. Today, through partnering with non-profits SucSeed designs and builds hydroponic grow gardens that empower anyone to grow fresh produce year-round. SucSeed exists to bring hydroponics into classrooms, homes and communities while encouraging a simple and easy environmentally sustainable practices that are delicious and rewarding.
We wanted to introduce you to our team members; the SucSeeders who are dedicated to helping the world grow!
Emily
Emily is an award winning social entrepreneur and third generation farmer from central Newfoundland who has been involved with growing her entire life. Emily started with SucSeed as a volunteer project in 2016 when she was the president of the Enactus Memorial team. Her passion for SucSeed comes from believing that it will take all of us to create a sustainable agriculture sector; and that youth will be a huge driver in creating a more sustainable sector as a whole!
Fast Facts About Emily
- Secret Talent – Making people laugh… at really lame jokes
- Favourite Thing to Plant – Cucamelons
- Favourite SucSeed Moment – During a classroom session in PEI we brought together the Minister of Agriculture – Bloyce Thompson, local farmers, teachers, students and the SucSeed team to have a big harvest day and salad bar. We all shared stories in agriculture and the students were so excited to eat the lettuce that they grew!
- Secret Favourite Song – Spice Up Your Life – Spice Girls
- Favorite SDG – Zero Hunger
- Favourite Plant Pun – Lettuce Grow Together
- Book Recommendation – The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
- Favourite Spot in Atlantic Canada – Around the waterfront in Lunenburg, NS (beautiful views, great local restaurants and local shops)
- Sustainable Life Tip – Shop local; our consumer habits have a huge effect on the CO2 impact of shipping and distribution companies
- Favourite Recipe – Strawberry Pie (with strawberries from my backyard greenhouse)
Andrea
Andrea is an avid volunteer and operations all star! She was a part of the Enactus team when SucSeed was started, and competed at many national and international competitions. Upon graduation she had multiple offers for accounting jobs and graduate degrees but decided her passion was in the start up world. She has been with SucSeed professionally since 2018 and has been leading their operations. Andrea loves a good spreadsheet and is excited to help SucSeed keep growing!
Fast Facts about Andrea
- Secret Talent – Plays guitar and piano (and a few other instruments)
- Favourite Thing to Plant – Basil
- Favourite SucSeed Moment – Visiting classrooms and seeing kids get excited about vegetables
- Secret Favourite Song – Anything Taylor Swift
- Favourite SDG – Good Health and Wellbeing
- Favourite Plant Pun – “Ain’t nobody got thyme for that” or “I’m rooting for you”
- Book Recommendation – Anything by Brene Brown
- Favourite Spot in Atlantic Canada – East Coast Trail, NL
- Sustainable Life Tip – Leave nothing but footprints and take nothing but photos
- Favourite Recipe – Pesto Pasta with Chicken (with fresh SucSeed basil)
Alex
Alex truly is a gardener of all trades! She may be a business and marketing expert by trade; however she also has experience studying architectural engineering, creating art and working in sales, finance and data collection! If she had any superhero power, she’d choose to be able to time travel – but unlike most, she’d go backwards not forwards. In her spare time, Alex grows hundreds of plants in two greenhouses and in her home!
Fast Facts About Alex
- Secret Talent: Writing poetry
- Favourite thing to plant: Cucumbers
- Favourite SucSeed Moment: Planting community gardens
- Secret Favourite Song: Send Me On My Way by Rusted Root
- Favourite SDG: Gender Equality
- Favourite Plant Pun: “Say aloe to my little friend”
- Book Recommendation: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Favourite Spot in Atlantic Canada: Hibbs Hole, NL
- Sustainable Life Tip: Don’t just throw all your current products away when switching to eco-friendly alternatives. You don’t need to do everything all at once, take it step-by-step and try not to be wasteful along the way.
- Favourite Recipe: Cajun Chicken Pasta
Candice
Candice is an all star teacher who embodies the Sustainable Development Goals and educates her class not just on the curriculum objectives but also how to be better students. She has been an elementary school teacher for 6 years and joined the SucSeed team to share her impactful teaching practices with students and teachers across Canada. Candice’s skills go even further, she is bilingual, owns a pottery business, is a pescatarian and was a lead singer in a band! In her spare time Candice loves to tend to her 120 house plants and make her own sourdough and kombucha!
Fast Facts About Candice
Secret Talent – I can rap the whole Starships song by Nicki Minaj
Favourite Thing to Plant – Too hard to choose… everything!
Favourite SucSeed Moment – Setting up the grow garden!
Secret Favourite Song – Feels So Close – Calvin Harris
Favourite SDG – Life on Land
Favourite Plant Pun – Pretty fly for a cacti
Book Recommendation – Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
Favourite Spot in Atlantic Canada – Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Sustainable Life Tip – Instead of caring for a lawn – plant clover seeds! It’s lower maintenance, requires less water and mowing, stays greener and keeps the bees happy!
Favourite Recipe – Sourdough Garlic Pizza