About Us

Even as a child growing up in Thorsby, Alberta, seeds played an integral part in Nicholas Hannas’ life. In the post depression years, young Nicholas walked from farm to farm selling packaged garden seeds which he consigned by mail order from Golden Medal Seeds.

His association with the seed industry continued in 1949 when he was hired as a warehouse worker for Steele Robertson Limited in Edmonton. Shortly after, he was asked to become a seed buyer where his territory included the entire province of British Columbia, most of Alberta and parts of Saskatchewan and the main crops purchased were clovers and fescue.

Seed buying in the 1950’s was tumultuous and full of challenges as Nick will attest. He was fired a number of times by his manager, only to be rehired each time by the owner, Aubrey Robertson. Robertson also had his son Bill, currently the executive vice-president of the Canadian Seed Growers Association, placed with Nick for ‘hands-on’ experience. As it turned out, Nick and Bill were thrown out the first place they called on.

In February of 1956, Nick decided to leave Steele Robertson and move to Vancouver with the intention of starting a garden center situated somewhere on the King George Highway. On his way to the coast, he stopped in at Lacombe, Alberta to visit a customer, Stu Chapman, the owner of Lacombe Seeds.

When Chapman was informed of Nick’s plans, he offered to sell all of his stock to Nick, which consisted mainly of garden seeds and supplies and Nick could assume the business. Without hesitation, Nick accepted.

Hannas Seeds’ first sale was a 15 cent package of tomato seeds and we still have that first 15 cents in a picture frame. Hannas Seeds began selling forage seed on a consignment basis with seed supplied by Steele Robertson and Foster’s Seed & Feed of Beaverlodge, Alberta.

With his reputation and previous successes as a seed buyer, Nick continued to buy seed in the Peace River area for other companies for a few years after starting his own seed company. He worked tirelessly, and well past retirement age, until his passing in April 2014.

The initial growing pains of the company were somewhat alleviated by the presence of Doris Ballantine. Ballantine was a senior seed analyst for the government and was residing in Lacombe at the time that Hannas Seeds came into being.

She began to work for the company in many capacities and her analytical expertise proved to be invaluable over the years. Ballantine continued to provide her service to Hannas Seeds until her passing in May 2008.

Business grew steadily each year. By the early 1960’s, the company was successfully wholesaling forage seed to local feed dealers, elevators and fertilizer outlets.

As a result, Hannas Seeds built new facilities, which included expanded offices and a larger warehouse, and moved to the present day site. These facilities were enlarged five years later to accommodate the ever increasing demand.

By the 1970’s, Hannas Seeds purchased a grain cleaning plant in Clairmont, Alberta and converted it to primarily a fescue cleaning facility. This allowed the company to develop an export market, which at present includes such countries as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, and Japan.

In addition to the plant purchased at Clairmont, there was another cleaning plant located in Smoky Lake, Alberta, grain processing outlets in Lacombe and Spirit River which were later sold to Cargill Grain and Continental Grain, as well as the purchase of Crown Seed & Feed, a company that was formerly based out of Calgary and owned by Lloyd Robertson, brother of Nick’s former boss, Aubrey Robertson.

Today Hannas Seedscontinues to serve its diverse clientele by providing the forage, turf grass and native grass seed that they require. The recently renovated garden centre & greenhouse continues to be a destination for local area gardeners.

The growth, expansion and success that has been prevalent in the 60 plus years that Hannas Seeds has been in business, can be attributed not only to a loyal customer base but also to key personnel, who through their dedication, expertise and devotion, enabled the company to fulfill a dream that began in 1956 and will continue into the 21st Century.

The garden centre was growing and a greenhouse structure was added to the building allowing for the sale of annuals and bedding plants. Perennials, trees & shrubs were sold in the outside yard. Outdoor accessories like concrete fountains, birdbaths, statuary and wrought iron furniture were included in the outdoor retail space.

As the export market became less feasible due to the sale of the cleaning plant, the native grass, oilfield construction and reclamation industries became key markets. Golf courses, landscapers, parks maintenance companies and home and acreage owners are also significant consumers of Hannas Seeds turf grasses (fescues, bluegrasses, bentgrasses, ornamental grasses and wildflower mixtures).


And lastly, with a new, heated 1800 ft2 greenhouse Hannas Seeds & Garden Centre has become a year-round destination for garden seed, grower’s supplies, home decor, giftware, bird feed and accessories, pet food, natural and organic personal care and spa items including Himalayan bath salts, hand made soaps & body butters.


It has been more than six decades since Hannas Seeds opened in Lacombe and it continues to be a family business that serves families and the agricultural community. We are proud to offer excellent service, quality and expertise to our clientele.