Golden Mesquite Pancake Mix

The Native Seeds story dates back to 1983 when co-founders Barney Burns, Mahina Drees, Gary Nabhan and Karen Reichhardt worked on a project that supported establishing gardens for the sustainable food needs of the Tohono O’odham Nation in Tucson, Arizona. The co-founders started the Native Seeds/SEARCH as a non-profit organization dedicated to seed conservation, preservation and collection of endangered traditional seeds from communities throughout the Southwest, as well as the conservation of the rich agro-biodiversity of the region.

To date, there are close to 2,000 crop varieties preserved in the Native Seeds bank that have adapted to the arid landscapes from spanning from southern Colorado to central Mexico. These rare crops represent more than 50 indigenous communities as well as crop wild relatives, which are wild ancestors of domesticated plants.

Every season, a portion of this collection is regenerated at various sites in southern Arizona including the organization’s 60-acre Conservation Farm in Patagonia, the Conservation Center Gardens in Tucson and in partnership with multiple regional small farmers. The seeds are then returned to cold storage and surplus is distributed through sales. Native Seeds offers more than 500 varieties from its collection and also sells Native fine arts and crafts, gifts, heirloom Southwest Foods and more. All proceeds benefit the mission allowing the organization to distribute free seeds to Native American families and community gardens.