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Bringing Ocean’s Gifts to Market

Q&A with Diane Bernard, Founder, Outer Coast Seaweeds

and Seaflora Skincare

The age-old tongue twister may say “she sells seashells by the seashore” but Diane Bernard

is far more interested in the seaweed she harvests from her ocean garden…

In her hometown of Sooke, B.C. on Vancouver Island, Diane Bernard is affectionately known to locals as “The Seaweed Lady”. But make no mistake, this Seaweed Lady is one very successful Mompreneur. An avid environmentalist, protector of the coast and advocate for coastal communities, Diane started her parent company, Outer Coast Seaweeds, in 2001 with an intention to change the image of seaweed by hand harvesting and manufacturing high quality seaweed products. Her initial idea was to harvest wild seaweeds for culinary use but with her ongoing curiosity and research of seaweed’s healing properties, her organic and environmentally friendly spa line evolved. Gaining an international reputation, Seaflora is the world’s first certified organic seaweed skincare line. Responsible harvesting and manufacturing strategies help to ensure Seaflora products remain “clean, coastal and consistent”.

Q: Why did you start Seaflora?

In 2000, I was ready for a change. It was the new millennium, my children were becoming independent young adults and I was approaching another benchmark birthday. I wanted to create something from our Canadian wild resources that would support my love of the marine environment and allow me to earn a living in my coastal community. Most importantly, after all the years of raising a family and working in a various capacities, I wanted to do something that was for me.

Q: What gave you the confidence to do so?

There were several factors: I am an experienced, mature woman with a graduate degree. I worked on several large projects over the years in areas including public education, local politics, labour relations and economic development in small communities. I also had the support of my family and close friends to take this risk and see where it would go.

Q: What was your goal in the first year?

My goal was to break even and I achieved that. Our annual revenues have now reached $500,000+.

Q: What was your biggest obstacle in the first year and how did you overcome it?

My biggest challenge was finding the confidence to walk on to an international tradeshow floor with my wild, fresh seaweeds, some photos of my ocean garden and a few seaweed product prototypes and say to the “big girl” businesses: “Yes, seaweed is what I do.”

Q: What other challenges have you overcome and how did you do it?

Three main challenges come to mind. First, in 2003 the North American attitude, for the most part, toward my products was: “You do what??” Most North Americans still regard seaweed as ‘strange and yucky’ but this is changing. Today there is a better understanding that while seaweed is different, it is good and healthy for you. To support this change, we conduct wild seaweed tours to educate our clients and the general public about the health and wellness benefits of certified organic wild seaweeds.

Also back then, the Canadian attitude was that if a skincare product did not originate in Europe, it must be inferior. And if it was made in Canada, it was definitely an inferior. Marketing Canadian skincare as a superior health and wellness product remains a big challenge. European and U.S. marketing is sophisticated; it’s backed by huge dollars and continues to dominate the industry both here and overseas. Seaflora continues to tackle this challenge ‘one client at a time’.

A third challenge has been achieving USDA Organic certification. This is a demanding and onerous process. Seaflora is a small company but even still we assigned the task to one employee to oversee and maintain our certification.

Q: What was the first sign that your business

would succeed?

I knew the business would survive when we met the goals of our first business plan which was to see some growth, pay our bills and break even.

Q: What are your goals for the next five years?

I would like to develop new seaweed products, build a sales team, plan for more ‘down time’ and organize some annual time off for hiking and backpacking.

Q: How many staff work at Seaflora?

We have a number of full-time and part-time, hard working female employees of different ages and from a variety of backgrounds and I also recently hired two male employees. I also have representatives for Seaflora in other parts of Canada and now overseas.

Q: What other aspects of your business

are ‘green’?

Seaflora is one of the first companies in the industry to publish our environmental actions and policies both on-site and off. It is an important and designated goal of our business plan to improve our current ‘green’ actions and to increase them every year.

Q: Why did you decide to sell your product

through retail outlets (spas, etc.) rather

than direct sales?

After years of working with the general public and in particular with men, I now quite enjoy working with women and especially women who operate their own businesses. Being a business-to-business company is a different and refreshing focus.

Q: How do you balance work and family?

I balance work and family very carefully, diligently and with clear focus. I fully understand that my good health and family support are vital to the success of operating and growing Seaflora.

Q: Will your children succeed you in your business?

Our children have been raised on the ocean and have a solid appreciation of the importance of the coast. Our son is currently enrolled in business school and at this point in his life, he is learning about Seaflora and appears to be interested in the company. Of course, all this could change; the decision to work in Seaflora is solely his.

Q: What do you do to relieve stress?

The very nature of Seaflora suggests that I’m an outdoors person. Our family enjoys backpacking, hiking and skiing and to handle the physical demands of working on the coastline, I must stay in some reasonable shape. To do all this, I eat well, get proper sleep and each week I make time to run, swim and bicycle. It all contributes to reducing stress. I also enjoy participating in our local Association of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) where we specialize in supporting each other in the many aspects of our business cycles.

For more information about Seaflora and the benefits of seaweed, visit sea-flora.com.

- MOMpreneur®

“I fully understand that my good health and family support are vital to the success of operating and growing Seaflora.”

“Seaflora is one of the first companies in the industry to publish our environmental actions and policies both on-site and off. It is an important and designated goal of our business plan to improve our current ‘green’ actions and to increase them every year.”

Photocaption:

Diane Bernard harvesting her organic seaweed in Sooke, B.C.

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