Don Bermant had grand ambitions when he founded the Granite Seed Company in 1988.
Growing up in the western United States around Salt Lake City, Utah, Don had a deep love and appreciation for the land. That shouldn’t come as a major surprise, as any trip to Utah’s Wasatch Front is enough to instill a sense of awe in nature’s grandeur, whether you’re gaping at rocky peaks, hiking through verdant forests, or cooling off in a high-mountain lake.
Don saw more than just a beautiful landscape, though — he also saw lands that had been ravaged by natural disasters like wildfires and floods, or severely damaged by mining and drilling operations. In both cases, once-beautiful patches of green earth were struggling to recoup after natural and man-made devastation, and Don wanted to help them regain their former glory.
Enter stage left, the Granite Seed Company — an agricultural business whose primary goal was to reclaim and restore lands damaged by drilling, mining, wildfires, floods, and other erosion events. Like I said, grand ambitions indeed.
From small beginnings to international renown
Like a seed that starts small and grows into a towering tree, the Granite Seed Company slowly grew from its humble beginnings to become one of the leading suppliers of reclamation, agricultural, and turfgrass seed in North America. Today, the company supplies millions of pounds of seed to government agencies, commercial contractors, trusts, large landowners and corporations.
Despite their growth into a global powerhouse, it’s neat to see that the company’s ecological mind frame hasn’t changed since day one. Check out their website, and you’ll see that many of their products are specially engineered for wildfire reclamation, mining disturbances, pipeline revegetation, and riparian/wetland restoration.
Bringing commercial quality to homeowners and landowners
After decades of dominance in the government and commercial sectors, an interesting thing happened: smaller landowners took notice, and started demanding the same premium seed products that the big dogs were using. When consumer brands continued to prove unable to deliver quality seed, Granite Seed decided to step in and offer their premium options to hobby farmers, homeowners, and other consumers. Enter stage right: Nature’s Seed.
What makes Nature’s Seed different?
Since 2011, Nature’s Seed has been redefining the retail seed market much like how its parent company Granite Seed started doing back in the 80s.
How? Like most of the good things in life, it all comes down to quality.
Unlike the seed products you’ll often find at home improvement or agricultural supply stores that are packed with high levels of inert matter, Nature’s Seed products don’t have any added filler. They also provide a wide range of seed types and varieties, so you can pick the grass type that’s ideally suited for your region and climate.
Thanks to its extensive experience with commercial seed, Nature’s Seed is able to source its seed from its own production fields and an extensive network of trusted wildland seed collectors and growers. For turfgrass, they only sell varieties that are top-rated by the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program, which are bred for superior density, color, drought tolerance, and resistance to disease and pests.
Eco-friendly from start to finish
Once Nature’s Seed sources wholesome seeds from local seed collectors and growers, they submit them to rigorous quality controls that include custom cleaning, purity, and viability testing in independent labs. They never treat their seeds with any type of pesticides or coating, nor do they add inert matter or filler species.
What’s next for Nature’s Seed?
Now that Nature’s Seed has been able to bring their commercial-grade seed to retail customers, it’s a matter of getting the word out that there’s a better, more eco-friendly option than what you’ll find at big-box stores.
For homeowners, that means lawn seed that’s engineered to thrive in your unique region and climate. For hobby farmers, it means pasture seed that’s specially formulated for region and species, covering everything from goats, sheep, and poultry to cattle, horses, bison, llamas, and alpacas. You’ll even find crop blends for haymaking, green manure cover, and dryland pasture.
Then there’s the specialty seed, which directly echos Don Bermant’s original focus on restoration seed, offering special blends for wetland restoration, wildfire resistance, and erosion control.
In short, Don Bermant succeeded in providing premium seed for large-scale reclamation and restoration efforts, and now Nature’s Seed is helping to bring those wholesome seeds to the masses. And as they continue to innovate and lead the charge with eco-friendly agricultural products, people will be excited to see where their journey continues.
