About us
Our mission is to grow resilient, high-quality seedlings that help forests thrive—partnering with our customers to support sustainable land stewardship, environmental renewal and the long-term health of our natural landscapes.
The beginning
Arbutus Grove is a family-owned business which began in 1979 when Hans and Susan Stoffelsma purchased a five acre piece of land which was to become their home and place of work. Construction of the first greenhouse was completed in 1980 and the first crop of 200,000 seedlings was sown in the spring of 1981. Their children, Nathaniel and Sarah, grew up while living at the nursery. Read Hans and Susan’s founders’ story here.
Generations of expertly-grown seedlings
Nathaniel took over ownership when Hans retired in 2002 and we’ve gradually expanded over the years. We currently grow 20 million seedlings annually at our 40 acre facility, and day to day operations are managed by Sean Webb and an experienced management team.
Nearly all of our seedlings are grown on a contract basis for our customers, many of which have been growing with us since the early years. We specialize in container stock, most of which is directly out-planted but a significant portion of which is also shipped to transplant nursery beds for the US market.
Quality people, quality service
We take great pride in our staff who with their skills, commitment and passion provide our customers with top quality seedlings and excellent service. We have a work-place culture of continual learning and improvement, and we are committed to running a safe, profitable and environmentally responsible operation.
Our Core Values
People over profit.
We grow millions of seedlings, but our business has always been about people. Relationships come first—with our customers, partners, communities, and each other. We earn trust by showing up, following through, creating a safe place to work together, and building partnerships that last decades.
We sweat the small stuff.
The little things become healthy forests. We pay attention to the details, make thoughtful decisions, and never stop improving.
Reliable. Every season.
Premium quality and service are realized only when we deliver consistency every day and on time - and we take that seriously. You can rely on us.
We stay grounded.
The best growers know there’s always more to learn. We leave our egos at the gate, listen first, and let our work speak louder than our words.
Curiosity is our middle name.
Our minds are wired for optimizing, testing and continuously asking ourselves how we can improve.
“We’re just farmers.”
- Sean Webb, Arbutus Grove Nursery Manager
