BLACK GOLD – All the riches of the earth

Since 1983, the Black Gold® product line has been available at many fine garden centers for the gardening delight of their customers. All Black Gold® mixes are professionally formulated to ensure success, and many of our products have been certified by the Mulch & Soil Council, which shows our products are made with the highest quality ingredients.

Black Gold® is made by a world-class horticulture company, Sun Gro Horticulture. For more than 80 years Sun Gro Horticulture has been a leading producer of quality products for commercial growers.

Known as the brand of choice for the gardening enthusiast, the Black Gold® product line is available throughout the United States and Western Canada. Offering a full line of products to meet almost every gardening need, including products listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), Black Gold® offers one of the most complete selections of mixes, amendments and fertilizers to fit your gardening project.

Why it is important to buy my gardening products from a professional horticulture company?

Key Dates in the History of the Black Gold Product line:

• 1985 Black Gold starts to be produced by the MJR Company in Hubbard, Oregon.
• 1989 The MJR Company and Sure Grow merge to form Black Gold Inc.
• 1995 Black Gold Inc. buys a production facility in Fillmore, UT to broaden its sales in the Intermountain West.
• 1996 Black Gold merges with Lakeland Peat Moss Ltd., an Alberta peat moss company, which forms Pacific Soil.
• 1998 Pacific Soil is purchased by Sun Gro Horticulture.
• 2001 The first Black Gold products listed by OMRI, a cutting edge move aimed to give customers confidence in their organic purchasing.
• 2003 Black Gold Cocoblend is launched, a unique potting soil made with peat moss and coir, for use in outdoor containers and baskets.
• 2005 Black Gold Soil Conditioner/Garden Amendment is launched in the Pacific Northwest.
• 2007 Sun Gro buys production facilities in California.
• 2007 Black Gold All Purpose becomes Black Gold All Purpose with CRF.
• 2007 Black Gold All Organic becomes Natural & Organic; Cocoblend becomes Waterhold Cocoblend.
• 2008 Black Gold Fertilizer product line is available to consumers.
• 2008 Black Gold begins to be manufactured from Sun Gro’s Sacramento and McFarland, California production facilities.
• 2009 Black Gold Soil Conditioner available from all Western US plants.
• 2010 Black Gold now available in Alberta, British Columbia, Illinois, Oklahoma and Texas.
• 2011 Black Gold now available nationwide in the US.
• 2011 Black Gold begins to be manufactured at Sun Gro’s Elizabeth City, NC; Pine Bluff, AR; Quincy, MI; McCormick, SC; and Orlando, FD production facilities.

Sun Gro Beyond Eighty Years

In the spring of 2009 Sun Gro Horticulture® celebrated its 80th birthday. Originally organized as Western Peat Company, Ltd. in Vancouver British Columbia, Sun Gro has grown to become North America’s largest producer of Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss. Sun Gro is the largest distributor of peat moss and peat and bark-based growing media to professional plant growers in the US and Canada and we are a leader in high quality consumer potting soils, garden amendments and fertilizers.

Sun Gro’s first venture into consumer gardening products was Sunshine® Peat Moss. Then in the 1980s, Sunshine® Potting Soils were added to the product line.  In 1998, after Sun Gro purchased Pacific Soil, we added the Black Gold® and Nature’s® potting soil, garden amendment and peat moss product lines to the Sun Gro family of home gardening products. Then, in 2006 the Sunshine® Pro product line–which emphasizes garden amendments–was added.

While this genealogy of products might be interesting to some of you, we believe the most important question a gardener should ask is “Why should I purchase my gardening products from an eighty year old company?”

Here are some thoughts for you to consider as you evaluate your gardening product choices.

Sun Gro is a Horticultural Company

Sun Gro has always been a horticultural company. We produce products for both professional and consumer horticultural markets, developing and supplying products that are horticulturally sound. Fancy bags and televisions ads are not what make gardeners request Black Gold®, Sunshine® or Sun Gro’s other consumer brands. It is the fact that we produce a quality product that helps you find success in your garden.

Quality is a way of life at Sun Gro

When a company produces products for the professional horticultural market, it is potentially liable for replacement of the product if the commercial greenhouse or nursery operator does not have success with it. We have found the best way to reduce our liability is to produce a quality initial product that we can stand behind. For many years Sun Gro has maintained an industry-leading quality control system that we use when we are producing both professional and consumer products. Attention to detail in our production process is one of the key things that sets Sun Gro apart from its competitors in the garden center.

Our Secret Ingredient

Unlike some companies that have a secret recipe, Sun Gro’s special ingredient is the team of people that develop, produce and sell the products. Beginning with our team of horticulturalists that develop product formulations and support the quality process, it moves on to the production teams that make sure all the raw materials meet our quality standards. The final product is something we can be proud of. And finally, the retailers that sell our products are second to none. These independent garden centers are focused on supplying you with quality products like Black Gold® and providing you with local garden knowledge to ensure your success.

Sun Gro Stands behind its Products

If, by chance, you have a problem with any of our products, we have this satisfaction guarantee outlined on all of our consumer products: “If you are not satisfied with this product, please send us proof of purchase and will refund your purchase price.” Our goal is complete customer satisfaction, and when you are not happy, we are not happy.

Over the past eighty years, we have embraced the wisdom that the customer is always right. And as a horticulture company, we’ve made it a founding principal that we should always strive for continuous improvement in all that we do. Finally, we know that when our products perform, they allow the joy of gardening to spread. After all, when you experience gardening success, we do as well.

Thank you for your business over the years and for continuing to allow Sun Gro to be a part of your future gardening projects.

Sun Gro Horticulture is a Canadian corporation and is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE: GRO). You can find more information about Sun Gro Horticulture by visiting www.sungro.com or read more about Sun Gro’s history at http://www.sungro.com/about_us.php.

In early 2011, Sun Gro Horticulture was acquired by an affiliate of IKO Enterprises Ltd., a privately held Canadian company.

Key Dates in the History of Sun Gro Horticulture

• 1929 Founded in Vancouver as Western Peat Company Ltd.
• 1947 Opens production facilities in Manitoba, Canada.
• 1964 Opens production facilities in Maisonnette, New Brunswick.
• 1984 Acquired operations of Langley Peat North Ltd. of Seba Beach, Alberta.
• 1987 Opened two new satellite mix plants, one in Quincy, Michigan and the second in Terrell, Texas.
• 1997 Sun Gro receives Wilfred J. Jung Distinguished Service Award from Garden Writers Association
• 1998 Acquired Lakeland Peat Moss, Ltd. in Alberta, and Pacific Soils Inc. in Hubbard, Oregon and Fillmore, Utah.
• 1999 Acquired Pro Gro Products, Inc. in North and South Carolina.
• 1999 Acquired Strong-Lite Products Corp. in Pine Bluff, Arkansas and Seneca, Illinois.
• 2002 Sun Gro Horticulture Income Fund acquires various assets and related businesses from Hines Horticulture, Inc. and commences operations on March 27th.
• 2004 Acquired Lameque Quality Group in New Brunswick.
• 2004 Acquired The Scotts Company’s Professional Growing Media business.
• 2005 Acquired Pigeon Hill Peat in New Brunswick.
• 2006 Acquired Normiska Peat in Fort Frances, Ontario.
• 2007 Acquired Sun-Up Horticulture in Sacramento, Marysville and McFarland, California.
• 2007 Acquired Kellogg-Rich Grow in Santa Maria, California.
• 2007 Acquired Grow Best Holdings which owns Florida Potting Soils, Inc. and  Sunshine Peat, Inc. in Orlando, Florida.
• 2010 Sun Gro Horticulture Income Fund completes reorganization of trust structure to a corporation, Sun Gro Horticulture, Inc.
• 2011 Sun Gro Horticulture acquired by a privately held company.