Hilary Rodrigues

Natural Newfoundland Nutraceuticals

In 1989, when we videotaped Hilary Rodgrigues, a dentist with a relatively new practice in Whitbourne, he was busy developing business opportunities in his small community. He had already built a much-needed pharmacy and had just launched his new blueberry wine business, which he created to add value to the large crop of blueberries that province produces. Since then he has grown his winery to capacity, so he developed another business which extracts the nutritional benefits from indigenous berries, fruits and marine plants and sells them as nutraceuticals (Foods containing health-giving additives). Now under construction, Hilary's new plant will employ twenty-five local people in addition to those already working in his other businesses-which he hires others to manage.