source: Farm and Food Report
Saskatchewan Herb and Spice Association members may be the most diverse group of producers and agricultural manufacturers in the province, but that’s nothing compared to the range of commercial applications they seek for their crops and products.
Connie Kehler is Executive Director of the Association.
“Herbs and spices are a bit of a misnomer because we also cover non-timber crops that end up as ornamental products. This is an industry association that encompasses culinary herbs and spices, as well as functional foods, right from the field all the way up to the shelf.”
Functional foods are foods eaten for specified health purposes, because of their presumed rich content of one or more nutrients or non-nutrient substances that might confer health benefits. The International Food Information Council (IFIC) defines them “as foods that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition.”
Kelher explains: “We have all heard of how cranberry juice is good for your urinary tract and how it lowers cholesterol. Well, there are many herbs we grow whose potential health applications haven’t been explored yet. For instance, there is a form of mould in northern Saskatchewan that is harvested from birch trees and sold in some countries as a raw material used in the preparation of cancer medicines. In other instances, we may even import the material for local processing.”
The Association is interested, not only in exporting the raw materials, but also in local transformation — something that requires a more intimate grasp of value chain components. This need was recently addressed at the 2005 Annual Conference in Saskatoon, when a representative of Calgary-based CV Technologies Inc. was invited to share some of their accomplishments with participants.
“This is a firm that has taken ginseng out of its traditional paradigm,” explains Kehler. “The company used some very good science to back up the traditional evidence in terms of using it for colds and flus, in conjunction with some traditional medical work, and is doing a phenomenal job of marketing that product — $11 million in sales during the last quarter doesn’t hurt.”
The biotechnology company launched in 1992 accessed industrial research funds from the National Research Council and aims to become a global leader in the development and commercialization of safe and effective, evidence-based natural therapeutics for disease prevention and health maintenance.
“In order to achieve that kind of success, you have to be a very special person or group of individuals. You must understand how to study the market — CV Technologies has recruited hockey personality Don Cherry to promote its Cold-FX product — in order to hit the right market. For success to occur while developing new markets and applications, producers must maintain all kinds of linkages in the value chain. They have to target areas where small niches exist and understand who their marketers are. Planning is critical.”
Connie Kehler puts her finger right on it when she says: “When growers put a crop in the ground, they should have a pretty good idea of where the product will end up. If someone calls us three years later and asks: ‘what do I do with this now?,’ it’s a little late in the game.”
For more information, contact:
Connie Kehler
Saskatchewan Herb and Spice Association
(306) 694-4622
http://www.saskherbspice.org
Saskatchewan Herb and Spice Association members may be the most diverse group of producers and agricultural manufacturers in the province, but that’s nothing compared to the range of commercial applications they seek for their crops and products.
Connie Kehler is Executive Director of the Association.
“Herbs and spices are a bit of a misnomer because we also cover non-timber crops that end up as ornamental products. This is an industry association that encompasses culinary herbs and spices, as well as functional foods, right from the field all the way up to the shelf.”
Functional foods are foods eaten for specified health purposes, because of their presumed rich content of one or more nutrients or non-nutrient substances that might confer health benefits. The International Food Information Council (IFIC) defines them “as foods that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition.”
Kelher explains: “We have all heard of how cranberry juice is good for your urinary tract and how it lowers cholesterol. Well, there are many herbs we grow whose potential health applications haven’t been explored yet. For instance, there is a form of mould in northern Saskatchewan that is harvested from birch trees and sold in some countries as a raw material used in the preparation of cancer medicines. In other instances, we may even import the material for local processing.”
The Association is interested, not only in exporting the raw materials, but also in local transformation — something that requires a more intimate grasp of value chain components. This need was recently addressed at the 2005 Annual Conference in Saskatoon, when a representative of Calgary-based CV Technologies Inc. was invited to share some of their accomplishments with participants.
“This is a firm that has taken ginseng out of its traditional paradigm,” explains Kehler. “The company used some very good science to back up the traditional evidence in terms of using it for colds and flus, in conjunction with some traditional medical work, and is doing a phenomenal job of marketing that product — $11 million in sales during the last quarter doesn’t hurt.”
The biotechnology company launched in 1992 accessed industrial research funds from the National Research Council and aims to become a global leader in the development and commercialization of safe and effective, evidence-based natural therapeutics for disease prevention and health maintenance.
“In order to achieve that kind of success, you have to be a very special person or group of individuals. You must understand how to study the market — CV Technologies has recruited hockey personality Don Cherry to promote its Cold-FX product — in order to hit the right market. For success to occur while developing new markets and applications, producers must maintain all kinds of linkages in the value chain. They have to target areas where small niches exist and understand who their marketers are. Planning is critical.”
Connie Kehler puts her finger right on it when she says: “When growers put a crop in the ground, they should have a pretty good idea of where the product will end up. If someone calls us three years later and asks: ‘what do I do with this now?,’ it’s a little late in the game.”
For more information, contact:
Connie Kehler
Saskatchewan Herb and Spice Association
(306) 694-4622
http://www.saskherbspice.org
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