Cracking the global marketplace is tough. Jean-Paul Deveau, president of Nova Scotia-based Acadian Seaplants has done it. He advises investing in research and development to create value-added products that clients will want to buy.

Founded in 1981, Acadian Seaplants is based in Dartmouth and exports value-added seaweed-based products to over 80 countries.

The company operates five manufacturing facilities and an R&D centre in Atlantic Canada. It has 320 employees in eight countries, including 25 research scientists.

 “If you wish to compete globally, you have to create products and services the world recognizes as having unique value,” Deveau said in an interview.

 “Bear in mind that the world wants to see companies working in a sustainable manner. We ensure that we harvest less than the annual growth of seaweed in the territories we license from the governments of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.”

It’s also vital to understand each potential market’s business culture. Deveau said the Trade Commissioner Services and other export development programs offered by federal and provincial governments provide useful guidance.

 “You can also consult or hire graduates of those countries who are studying in Canada,” he said. “And, as you grow, you can hire full-time staff in those markets.”

Deveau is well-qualified to give advice, having helped his father, Louis, grow Acadian Seaplants from a small Maritime venture into a global corporation.

Louis first became interested in seaweed as a child. Growing up on the shore of Nova Scotia’s Baie Ste. Marie, he noticed his father spreading goemon de roche (the Acadian term for seaweed found along rocky shorelines) on the crops in the family vegetable garden.

Later, Louis was recruited by Marine Colloids, a multinational based in Rockland, Maine. From 1967 on, he held various international positions with the company, including president of Marine Colloids Canada, where he was responsible for the worldwide procurement of seaweeds for processing into carrageenan, a food gum.

Louis oversaw the Nova Scotia operations that consisted of harvesting, drying and baling seaweed and shipping it to the parent company for extraction into carrageenan.

He observed the American company investing in R&D and developing new products and realized that he could do the same himself. He decided to purchase the parent company’s Canadian assets and, in 1981, Acadian Seaplants was founded.

His son joined him in 1985. By then, Jean-Paul had obtained his bachelor of science and bachelor of engineering from Dalhousie University in Halifax, as well as his MBA from McGill University in Montreal.

He had also worked for Imperial Oil in sales and marketing positions in Eastern Canada. He was keen to work with his father, recognizing they had complementary skills.

 “When I joined my father, he was still operating out of my old bedroom,” Deveau recalled.

 “The company was small and new, but cash flow-positive.

 “It was exciting. I could see the potential even though there wasn’t enough money to pay me at first. I said, ‘Let’s give it a try,’ and we’ve never looked back.”

The company recently acquired Arramara Teoranta, Ireland’s largest seaweed company. Work has also been completed on the Deveau Centre, an enhanced production facility in Cornwallis.

The company has many divisions. The biggest is its plant science division, which produces globally exported crop biostimulants.

Specialty-food products are a growing part of the business. “Seaweed is full of micronutrients,” Deveau said. “I eat it myself most days. Every day, 125 million people eat seaweed in Japan.

 “These days, you can buy sushi from Sobeys and Superstore. Twenty years ago, no one would have thought of it.”

He re-emphasized the need for Atlantic Canadian innovation.

“We need to look at what we can do to create value out of the great natural resources and opportunities we have here and then export globally. That’s what will drive our economy.”

Disclaimer: Entrevestor receives financial support from government agencies that support startup companies in Atlantic Canada. The sponsoring agencies play no role in determining which companies and individuals are featured in this column, nor do they review columns before they are published.      

Disclaimer: Entrevestor receives financial support from government agencies that support startup companies in Atlantic Canada. The sponsoring agencies play no role in determining which companies and individuals are featured in this column, nor do they review columns before they are published.