Life Giving Seeds relocates to Stevensville

by John Dowd

John and Hannah Erbele are breaking the mold when it comes to producing healthy oils derived from seeds. The couple owns Life Giving Seeds, and has been working in the specialty grain and healthy oil industry for a number of years. They bring an interesting and personal perspective to healing the body. When it comes to health and wellness, a lot of what we consume, both medicinally and for sustenance, can have a huge impact. That is part of what drives the Erbeles and what they do.  

They started their business in North Dakota, but eventually found a home in Stevensville and have brought their business with them. John is from the area, having grown up around Missoula and the Bitterroot. “I mean, this is home,” said John. Their families live here and they have been making trips out to visit, but with parents getting older, those trips became more frequent. So, they decided they would make the move permanent, buying property here. Eventually, they said,  “Maybe we should just move the whole thing,” John said. 

Now located just outside Stevensville, Life Giving Seeds is fully certified organic, and they even third-party check all the businesses and suppliers they work with to ensure everything is top quality and healthy. The highlight of their business is oil extraction, which then goes into cosmetics, health foods, pharmacies and more. They are able to take the shell off a flax seed without the use of chemicals, and are one of the only facilities that can. It is done without chemical extraction, which can be a tricky process. 

They produce everything from individual bottles to truck loads and sell their stuff in the fields of cosmetics, health supplements and in feed for local farmers. Everything is done in house, from pressing the seeds to the bottling, and they sell at each level of production.

However, moving the business out of the “grain belt” was scary, said John. They had to downsize significantly during the move, bringing everything from a much larger facility into a tiny one. However, they have been doing very well, and are expanding their facility’s footprint. When asked about their success, they said they believe it comes down to their mission, and why they do what they do. 

The business started with Hannah, and for her their mission has a particular importance. She was a high-end hair dresser in California. After an accident she was left with a traumatic brain injury which led to her being placed on a large amount of medications to manage the symptoms. This led to depression which became so bad that she began questioning, “Was it the drugs, or was it the brain injury?” Tired of the medications she was on, she started looking into healing herself through healthier and more natural means. 

She looked to supplements and natural remedies, taking a deep dive into the industry. She also has had family members who died by suicide and so depression was something she was very concerned about. Working in the cosmetics and beauty industry, she also saw the things people would do to themselves, and believed there was a better way to live. 

After taking the natural route she found herself healthier and clearer, and her depression from her injury subdued, so she decided she would help others to do the same. The couple ended up in the business of producing the supplement ingredients, like flax lignans and oils used in numerous applications. These compounds are packed with antioxidants and potentially balancing hormones that have huge and lasting impacts on physical and mental health. Some may even help fight cancer, and some of the supplements Life Giving Seeds produces are geared towards aiding people in weaning off of prescription drugs. 

According to John, their business really works on two fronts. The first is the specialty grains, where they press out the oils and sell those as well as the byproducts for pet and farm feed. According to John, that whole other aspect of sustainability has massive benefits, both to pets and livestock, and to the humans down the line that consume the animals who eat that feed. This is the side that John manages.

The other side is the hemp and flax product line which they are working to grow. This side focuses on healthy mind and body products that Life Giving Seeds produces in-house. 

Currently their ingredients then go into various supplements, produced by other companies. They do a lot of this private labeling, with their products in big stores like pet stores, pharmacies, grocery chains and more. They are working to beef up their in-house supplement production and sales. This is the side Hannah manages, and will allow them to more directly control what goes into the products their customers consume. “What’ on the label is what is in it,” John said about their products.

They are moving to the next phase, and will do more retail on their own. They spoke on the products they produce, which include one with a high-powered turmeric extract, “Peaceful Mind.” They sell topicals as well as capsules and there are a host of these the couple produce.

Life Giving Seed’s products are designed to naturally help mood stabilization, and assist people’s bodies in regulating hormones while boosting the immune system. They also hope their supplements will help get people off opioids, fight addiction and resolve pain, much like how these natural supplements helped Hannah. 

“There’s a lot of side effects to the other stuff,” said Hannah, speaking about prescription medications. She added, “We try to do everything naturally.”

Another part of this new avenue for the business is the CBD line. John and Hannah wanted to express that they are not a dispensary and they do not sell or work with marijuana at all. However, they are working to expand their CBD product line, and they do sell some of these products in local dispensaries. 

According to John, the hemp plant contains very healthy oils, high in aminos and protein. He spoke of two categories of hemp, one that has been bred with high levels of THC, which is what gets people high, and the other that has intentionally low THC levels, with high CBD levels. The latter chases the health benefits of so-called cannabidiols, which are non-psychoactive, unlike THC, and are currently being proven to have numerous benefits to the human body. 

In fact, the byproduct from non-chemical extraction of hemp makes a super healthy animal feed, which John expects will catch on as more people become concerned about the food they consume. Much of the animal feed today, utilized from byproducts of chemical seed oil extraction, contains the same chemicals from the extraction process. This makes it up the food chain and into the body of consumers. “And people wonder why everybody has cancer,” said Hannah. According to John, talking about that hemp byproduct feed, “that industry is going to explode.”

Life Giving Seeds is big on supporting local. They’re trying to get all their supply from Montana only. Right now, their supply is split between Montana and North Dakota. “Ten percent of what we do here, we give back,” said John. He and Hannah fell in love with the sense of community in Stevensville, and appreciate all the support and curiosity they have seen. 

They believe in “investing in people, not buildings,” said John. Much of what they do is about health in all forms, mind, body and spirit. In fact, part of their namesake comes from the Bible. “All life begins with seed,” John said, citing the Book of Genesis. John was a pastor, and so religion for them is hugely central. The couple also has a side project called “Five Minute Church,” which is an app-based church, and he can still continue his work as a pastor there. “Basically a church without walls,” as John described it. That way, bringing it all together, they hope they can “help people, mind, body and soul,” said John. 

Life Giving Seeds has grown to support Five Minute Church, and that will be growing into the “Life Giving Church,” where they hope to combine all their passions into one place. There, they do not plan on pushing any products, but will continue to help with the ministry and encouragement side, while also encouraging healthy living. That will be a better “avenue for us to connect people that are hurting and need help,” said Hannah.

Currently, Life Giving Seeds is working on a new expansion, which will give them more warehouse space, as well as production capability. It will also give them a space to allow community meetings, church space and more. “People are struggling in so many ways,” said Hannah. They hope to be a place to do something about it.