In 1976, our New Brunswick operation started in Shippagan with a small plant and four machines.
Over the next 50 years, we grew alongside the horticulture industry. Production expanded, new products and capabilities were added and, eventually, we moved into a larger facility in Pokemouche, where our Canadian production operation remains today.
Products made here have long reached customers well beyond New Brunswick. Equipment and technology have changed, while some employees have spent years, and in some cases decades, with us.
As we celebrate our 50th anniversary in New Brunswick this September, we’re looking back at how an operation that started with four machines grew into what it is today.
From Four Machines to a Growing Operation
From those early years in Shippagan, our presence in the region grew steadily.
The operation expanded into peat pots, pellets, plastic products and other horticultural products, while also adding peat harvesting and an in-house machine shop.
By 2009, the Shippagan facility had reached approximately 120,000 square feet and employed more than 300 people. About 80% of our production was exported at the time, connecting work happening in northern New Brunswick with customers much farther away.
Growth continued in 2015 with a new 12,800-square-foot mix plant in Losier Settlement. The investment added screening, mixing and material-handling equipment, along with additional harvesting capacity, and allowed customers to source growing mixes alongside the pots and other horticultural products they were already purchasing from us.
“One of the milestones I’m most proud of came in 2009, when I moved from production into an administrative role,” says Paulette Robichaud, Production Assistant and Supervisor. “After years of working in different areas of production, I was able to bring that experience with me, learn a new side of the business and contribute in a different way. Over time, I’ve seen how even small improvements can have a lasting impact. Being able to grow within Jiffy, continue learning and help improve the operation is something I’m very proud of.”
The following year brought one of the largest changes yet.
A Bigger Home in Pokemouche
In 2016, we announced an $11.8 million expansion and relocation to the former Atlantic Yarn building in Pokemouche. The larger site provided additional room for continued growth and allowed us to bring our research and development efforts together on the same property.
Pokemouche was selected over three other North American locations, keeping our Canadian production operation in the region where it had started four decades earlier. Today, Pokemouche remains our Canadian production location, with approximately 225 employees as of 2024.
What Production Looks Like Today
Some of the products coming out of Pokemouche have been part of Jiffy for decades.
Our biodegradable peat-based plant pots and Jiffy-7 Pellets are both produced here. The pellets have an especially long connection to the province: when Jiffy-7 celebrated its 60th anniversary globally in 2024, approximately 45 of those years included production in New Brunswick.
Over the years, our broader New Brunswick operation has also expanded into growing media production, peat processing and additional harvesting capacity.
Today, that history shows up across several parts of the operation:
- Longstanding products: Jiffy-7 Pellets and peat-based plant pots continue to be produced in Pokemouche.
- Expanded capabilities: Investments over the years have added screening, mixing, harvesting and material-handling capabilities across our New Brunswick operations.
- More adaptable production: As early as 2014, we were working to make production lines more flexible so they could respond to different customer requirements while maintaining quality and productivity.
The horticulture industry has changed during those same decades. Technology has advanced, grower needs have shifted and expectations around sustainability have continued to develop, which has shaped how our products and production capabilities have evolved.
Sustainability has become part of the production story, too
Our work in New Brunswick includes efforts around production methods, greener materials, energy use and waste, while we also report on areas such as carbon emissions and responsibly produced peat usage.
Our work also reflects the sustainability standards of the markets we serve, an area highlighted in a 2024 Opportunities New Brunswick profile.
The questions we are asking about production today are understandably different from the ones facing a four-machine plant in 1976. They will continue to change as growers, markets and horticultural technology evolve.
The People Behind the Operation
Of course, 50 years of production also means 50 years of people coming through the doors.
Some employees have spent a significant portion of their careers with us. Others may have worked alongside family members or followed relatives who came before them. After five decades in the same region, those connections can stretch beyond a single generation.
Those experiences will add another layer to a history that otherwise tends to be measured in expansions, equipment and production figures.
“I am … proud of how naturally new employees become part of the Jiffy NB culture, including colleagues who have joined us from other countries. Over time, they do not simply become part of Jiffy; they also become part of our local community. The relationships, teamwork and sense of belonging develop naturally, and I think that says a lot about the culture we have created here,” says Jonathan-Yves Basque Mazerolle, HR Manager and Continuous Improvement.
Still Rooted in Northern New Brunswick
For all that has changed, our operation has never moved far from where it began.
We started in Shippagan, expanded into Losier Settlement and later chose Pokemouche when we needed more room to grow. Products made here have long traveled beyond the province, while much of the work behind them has remained rooted in northern New Brunswick.
Looking Ahead After 50 Years
The team working with four machines in Shippagan in 1976 could hardly have pictured the Pokemouche operation of 2026.
Since then, we have expanded production, added new products and capabilities, invested in new technology and moved into a facility with more room to grow. The growers we serve and the wider horticulture industry have evolved along with us.
“We have a great opportunity to combine the experience already within the organization with new ideas, technology, continuous improvement and the development of future employees and leaders, says Basque Mazerolle. “I also believe that transparency, honesty, consistency and open communication will be extremely important in that growth. People may not always agree with every decision, but they should understand the reasons behind it and feel comfortable sharing ideas and challenging ourselves to improve.”
There will be more change ahead as technology advances, sustainability expectations develop and grower needs shift.
As we mark 50 years, we can look back at those first four machines, the products leaving Pokemouche today and all of the growth in between, while the next chapter of our New Brunswick operation is already taking shape.
Let’s work together
Jiffy is a leading global supplier of premium growing media and solution thinking. We aim to serve you, our customers in plant propagation and cultivation, to achieve better results with fewer worries. We do this by continually improving, innovating, and working toward our common goals, based on scientific research, teamwork, and decades of experience. Let’s develop sustainable plant growing solutions together: Let’s start today!