Growth of local garden seed company earns recognition from Idaho’s Congressional delegation
October 27, 2025
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2:03Now PlayingGrowth of local garden seed company earns recognition from Idaho’s Congressional delegation
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as posted by the channel#eastidahonews #survivalgardenseeds #gardening
RIGBY — Five years after its creation, a Rigby business has become a major supplier for garden seed customers nationwide and its product will soon be distributed in 3,600 Walmart locations.
Survival Garden Seeds buys and packages more than 400 different varieties of seeds, which it gets from seed warehouses and Idaho farmers. The Walmart distribution will begin next spring.
“In December, (the seeds) will ship to Walmart stores,” Company founder and CEO Jason Spahr says in an interview with EastIdahoNews.com.
The company caught Walmart’s attention after becoming a No. 1 seller online. Today, Walmart and Amazon are its two biggest revenue streams.
Its success and growth amid economic challenges prompted the Small Business Development Center to organize a tour of this and other local companies Thursday morning. EastIdahoNews.com attended, along with representatives from Idaho State University and the local offices of Idaho’s Congressional delegation. Sen. Julie VanOrden, R-Pingree, was also there.
Spahr says he’s grateful for the support of the SBDC over the years and he appreciates the recognition from state and federal lawmakers. He said he hopes to see brand awareness increase because of its distribution with Walmart.
“This is a big day for us,” Spahr says. “It’s going to give us a lot more brand visibility and help people know who we are and drive our online (sales).”
Spahr says the goal of Survival Garden Seeds is to help customers become more self-reliant through gardening. It does that by buying seeds, educating people about how to use them and help them grow it. The thing that sets the business apart from others, according to Spahr, is the seed-saving instructions on the back of each package.
“We’re the only company I know of that does that,” he says. “We only carry Heirloom, non-GMO, open pollinated seeds, meaning you can save them from year to year and get the same viability and variety.”
Spahr launched Survival Garden Seeds during the COVID-19 pandemic. He founded Idaho Mattress Outlet in 2008 and was ready for a change.
Spahr’s interest in gardening stems back to his childhood in Malad. His dad taught school in the area and “gardening was just a way of life” during the summer months.
“It’s in my blood,” Spahr says.
Forming a garden seed company was a natural fit.
During Thursday’s tour, he showed the crowd how seeds are received, sorted and packaged. Watch highlights in the video above.
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