Ken Holmes – Holmes Enterprises

Ken Holmes has been involved in projects with connections to nutrition for years including running a 12,000 square foot greenhouse, growing and marketing fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and peppers.

He has also worked with the Food Science Centre in Saskatoon to grow wild rice in northern Saskatchewan. After discovering the nutritional qualities of wild or black rice with his goal to find a product high in protein that could be processed into a whole food, he came to work with hemp.

Ken formed Living Harvest Ltd., a successful processing and marketing company which found their niche in the market by working with an organic farmer and developing a milling process that resulted in the development of the first high protein powder in the industry (46% protein). The company built its first factory in  Spalding, Saskatchewan, later adding two more factories in Watson, Saskatchewan and McGregor, Manitoba.

Now operating as Holmes Enterprises, this entrepreneurial and visionary business  is a leader in the health food and health products industry.

When the earthquake hit Haiti in February of 2010, Ken listened carefully to see what was needed most and how he could be of service. Almost immediately he saw that one of the most important needs was clean drinking water. He had been studying water purification processes as a hobby for 15 years, and this was the time to put it to good use. With help from a water treatment specialist, Ken began putting together his ideas for portable water purification units.

Ken recognized that he needed to be able to add in solar power capability and this led him to CAP Solar Ltd. in Olds, Alberta. After meeting with CAP Solar owner Jason Wright and his General Manager Pat Brydges, Ken knew that this was going to be an excellent partnership. CAP Solar offered to develop the solar direct component, source all components and assemble the units at their plant in Olds. Everything came together very quickly, and by December of 2010 EnsureLife had proven units on the market.

One aspect of these units that makes Ken very happy is that it removes Cholera from drinking water. Getting these units to Haiti and anywhere else in the world where they are needed is the company’s top priority. It is how the two partners came to name their units EnsureLife – it is their goal to make available to the world our most precious commodity… pure drinking water.

Jason Wright – CAP Solar Ltd.

In 1984 CAP Solar Pumps Ltd. was started under the name Canadian Ag-Technology Partners (CAP) and based in Olds, Alberta. The company’s core business started with the development of their own DC powered water pumps through painstaking R&D for the agricultural market, and has progressed over the years to include most solar applications for agricultural, residential and commercial markets. Having a manufacturing facility in Olds, Alberta has been an advantage to CAP that has allowed for the immediate addition of production in the water purification market.  

CAP is excited to be working with Holmes Enterprises for the R&D, innovation, assembly and distribution of sustainable and healthy water treatment products.