Meet Our Team
We all want to help you sow joy and grow biodiversity, one seed at a time.
Brenda Blanchard
Administration and Customer Service
Brenda is that friendly voice on the other end of an email or phone call to Northern Wildflowers. Brenda is responsible for customer service, order fulfillment, inventory management, and bookkeeping.
Brenda is originally from rural Saskatchewan and enjoys golfing, acting, spending time with family, and upcycling furniture and fixtures.
Erin Fraser
Marketing and Sales Coordinator
Erin is a designer and marketer with a Bachelor of Industrial Design from Carleton University. For nearly a decade, she has brought creative impact to companies in the mining and recreation industries through product design, advertising, and marketing.
A passionate outdoor enthusiast, Erin is excited to connect with everyday gardeners just like herself.
In her free time, she enjoys camping, cooking, practicing aerial silks, painting, and scrapbooking.
Jenny Fortier
Founder and CEO
Jenny is a biologist with a B.Sc. from Laurentian University, a M.Sc. from Trent University, is a master gardener (MG), and holds a diploma in Sustainable Landscape Design.
Jenny founded Northern Wildflowers in 2012 and operated the business as a side hustle for the first ten years while pursuing a career that dabbled in science communication, business development, project management, and economic development. Jenny is passionate about habitat restoration and supporting and encouraging more farming in Canada.
Jenny enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, traveling, cooking, running, and mountain biking.
Nicolas Thommen
Native Seed Processing and Production Technologist
Chase Beaudoin
Chief Technical Officer
Chase is co-owner of Northern Wildflowers and a licensed electrician with a background in labour management. He joined the company in 2014 and later came on board full-time. Chase leads the development of our seed enhancements, drives process improvements, and oversees the implementation of new systems across the shop, lab, and farm. He focuses on optimizing production on our organic farm—from refining coating protocols and quality assurance to improving equipment, workflows, and data tracking so seed moves smoothly from field to finished packet.
Outside of work, Chase enjoys mountain biking, weight training, running, and spending time with his family.
Rachel Bosley
Seed Supply Coordinator
Rachel is a naturalist and former park biologist with a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from Lakehead University.
Her background with the Ministry of the Environmental Conservation and Parks took her to many of Ontario's diverse ecosystems and landscapes for field work and land restoration. Rachel is passionate about restoring habitat, specifically to support the biodiversity of insects.
Rachel enjoys gardening, hiking, foraging, and reading in her spare time.
Vincent Paradis
Business Development
Vincent is a Mechanical Engineer with a Masters Degree in Management. He held various positions in the fields of Supply Chain and Continuous Improvement before moving to Commercial roles.
He loves thinking outside the box and creating win-win. Based in Montreal, he is a main point of contact for all French speaking customers and retail partners.
In addition to gardening with his family, he enjoys various sports including broomball, golf, fishing and windsurfing.
Sofia
Student Field Crew Member
Sofia (left) is in Grade 11 and has grown up with a farm-country lifestyle, so being outdoors and working around the land has always been a natural part of her life. She loves camping and spending time outdoors, and hopes to become a veterinarian someday.
At the farm, Sofia helps maintain the areas and projects that have already been developed. She brings a positive attitude to the team and is always happy to get outside and help wherever she is needed.
Avery
Student Team Member
Avery was our first employee, starting with us in grade 11. Avery studied nursing at Laurentian University, and is now a nurse here in Sudbury.
Over the years, Avery has worked on the farm; she's helped with seed cleaning, order fulfillment, packaging products, and still comes back when needed to help keep us organized.
Éloïse
Student Field Crew Member
Éloïse (right) is a high school student who enjoys playing the piano and skiing. She lives on a farm, where she enjoys spending time outdoors and helping with the daily work. She is currently working toward her goal of becoming an anesthesiologist in the future.
Éloïse helps on the farm with many different tasks, including weeding, watering plants, and harvesting crops. She also occasionally helps develop the land by clearing trails and maintaining the fields. In the office, she helps package seeds and fulfill orders.