Nancy's Story

The inspiration for Naturally Nova Scotia (NNS) all started in the early 1990s: My sister was a physiotherapist in Ontario and was interested in natural products to help with her clients’ health and recovery. She quickly realized that there were very few high quality products available and wasn’t sure which direction to go. With the guidance of a herbalist friend, I began to learn about the many medicinally-rich herbs that grew wild around my home in NS. Together we formulated a small line of organic tinctures.

I started the business in my kitchen. I would wild craft the fresh herbs, chop them and suspend them in ethanol alcohol, the traditional method to make tinctures. I broke many kitchen knives trying to chop roots such as elecampane and yellowdock and I could hardly move my hands because they were so sore from the chopping.

However more space (and help!) quickly became a must and in 1993, NNS was officially founded when I purchased a 150 year old farm on the Eastern Shore of NS. Being certified organic was important to me from the beginning and I immediately began the process to have my new facility and farm land certified.

In 1995 I started studying with the Wild Rose College of Natural Healing in Alberta. With my own qualifications and those of the company, business started to pick up and some local stores started to bring in the product line. I was then approached by some fans in Japan about taking my product to Tokyo. The Japanese have a history of using herbs but nowadays much of that has been forgotten. I was now re-educating the Japanese about the use of herbs.

With growing success, I had the original farm building renovated to accommodate new production demands and staff. As you can see from a previous picture post in August 2011, we have still been able to preserve the look of the original farm buildings. Since 1993, the facility has grown from my kitchen to a 30,000 square foot manufacturing facility that is able to output herbal tinctures and capsules as well as whole food supplements. You can see images of our top of the line freeze-dryers to the left.

Despite all of the change and growth in NNS, the original values that held true to me from the beginning continue to be followed: What makes Naturally Nova Scotia stand out amongst natural product manufacturers are the unique products and processes the company creates and employs on a daily basis: producing certified organic, whole food/herb products in a certified organic processing facility that are each created using technologies such as freeze drying to ensure the most densely nourishing finished product. This is the type of quality product you can continue to expect from my company and I appreciate your support in growing my dreams.

Nancy Smithers
Founder/Owner/CEO of Naturally Nova Scotia Health Products

Nancy is an entrepreneur and community service volunteer with more than 25 years of business experience in financial and personnel management, marketing, strategic planning, and international trade development. She is a member of many advisory boards, including the Dalhousie University Faculty of Management. In 2004, Nancy earned a Premier’s Commendation recognizing leadership in Quality Management Practice, and in 2007 she won a Nova Scotia Women of Excellence Award. In 2008 Nancy received an Honorary Doctorate of Civil Laws from St. Mary’s University and in 2009 Nancy was presented the prestigious Organics Achievement Award at the CHFA People of Excellence Awards Ceremony.