Our President

The founder and president of Naturally Nova Scotia, Nancy Smithers, began her love affair with herbs in 1993. Nancy began researching local wild plants under the apprenticeship of an herbalist friend. She foraged over the diverse terrains of Nova Scotia, discovering the many medicinal herbs growing in marshes and woodlands, sometimes wondering if she had lost her mind. While she had deep family roots in nature, Nancy's main inspiration came from her sister, a physiotherapist interested in using natural healing remedies in her practice. Nancy and her sister found that despite the centuries of traditional herbal knowledge passed down from early medicine man to modern practitioner, high quality organic remedies were difficult to source.

Nancy's rudimentary herbal tincture production began in her kitchen. She harvested fresh herbs and packed them in amber glass bottles using the Folk Method, filling them to the rim with ethyl alcohol. "I had to put a secure lock on my wine cellar at home in order to legally be able to use ethanol. The liquor commission had to come and approve the cellar and the lock!" she laughs. Nancy remembers, "the kitchen looked like a disaster area with dirt and herb dropping everywhere." She tried to chop yellow dock, a large dense tuberous root, with a kitchen knife which kept breaking, and left her hands so sore that she could not move them for days. The many aches and pains she endured turned into realizations that fuelled her passion for the craft.

Throughout the 1990s, Nancy attended the Wild Rose College of Natural Healing, taking courses in Vitamins and Minerals, Human Physiology, as well as Herbology. This education helped guide her through to the realization of Naturally Nova Scotia; from modest roots to the branching international markets the company thrives in today.

This unique company started out in one entrepreneurial woman's kitchen and grew into a 250-acre farmstead. It is now a successful leading producer and processor of certified organic nutritional supplements, employing over 40 staff on the scenic eastern shore of Nova Scotia. Nancy continues to work hands on within the company and can sometimes be seen loading the freeze dryers and chopping herbs with a heavy machete. Her infatuation with her company has continued to blossom over the years as product development expanded into herbal capsules, whole food vitamins, superfoods, antioxidants, etc.

Nancy is an entrepreneur and community service volunteer with more than 25 years of business experience in financial management, accounting, personnel management, marketing, strategic planning and international trade development. She is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Coalition for Health, Freedom and Citizens for Choice in Health Care, a member of the Natural Health Product Directorate's Management Advisory Committee on Natural Health Products, and a member of the Saskatchewan Herb and Spice Association advisory board. In addition, she is a director of the Dartmouth General Hospital Charitable Foundation and the Dalhousie University Art Gallery, and sits on the Dalhousie University Faculty of Management advisory board.

Nancy has received several grants from the National Research Council's Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) to study the active ingredients of herbs and the stability of vitamins and minerals, as well as optimal extraction and production methods. Additionally, she cosponsors Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) funded research.

In 2004, Nancy earned a Premier's Commendation recognizing leadership in Quality Management Practice, and in 2007, she won a Nova Scotia Women of Excellence Award. In 2008 Nancy received an Honorary Doctorate of Civil Laws from St. Mary's University which recognizes the value she provides as a role model for entrepreneurial students and her ongoing support for academic research. Most recently, Nancy was presented the prestigious Organics Achievement Award at the CHFA People of Excellence Awards Ceremony.

Despite the immense company and product line growth over the years, Nancy stands by her original company philosophies and practices; producing certified organic, whole food/herb products that are each created using the best technologies available to ensure the most densely nourishing finished product. This long standing integrity has engendered immense consumer confidence and a global Naturally Nova Scotia following.