Our Team.

• PhD from Dalhousie University
• Experience in Postharvest Plant Physiology with 15 years in plant science research.
• Published several peer-reviewed scientific articles in the field of science
• Founded and built multi-million-dollar companies in logistics (Asante Logistic Group Inc.) and real estate (Asante Realty Inc.) with over 10 years’ experience in building and scaling profitable businesses.
• A big passion to build the community we live in, hence a continuous investment in the Truro-Colchester community and the people who live here.

• Ph.D. from the University of Adelaide, Australia
• Expertise in Plant Physiology, Environmental Stress Physiology, Seed Physiology, Postharvest physiology, Horticulture crops, Tissue and Cell culture Technologies, Controlled Environment Horticulture.
• Emeritus Professor, Dalhousie University
• Award winning- International Scientist.
• Over 30 years of experience in horticulture, plant physiology, postharvest physiology and Indoor horticulture systems.
• Supervised and trained over 250 highly qualified professional.
• Published over 100 peer-reviewed original scientific articles.
• Inventor/co-inventor of over 25 different products and technologies.
• 3 products and technologies are licensed for commercialization.

• MSc from Dalhousie University & University of Ghana
• Experience in Agricultural Economics with over 10 years’ experience in corporate financial management.
• Co-Founder of Asante Logistic Group and Asante Realty with a decade of experience in strict financial management.

Dynamic leader recognized as being instrumental in advancing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police into a world-class policing service by becoming more contemporary with rapidly changing times, advances in technology and the sophistication of crime. Has superior investigative skills and extensive experience in handling complex cases and security operations. Oversaw diverse corporate organizational change through an integrated risk assessment process and introduced a balanced approach involving operational and strategic business lines. Designed and implemented a unique leadership model called the Balanced Leadership Approach which has proven to advance workplace harmony and productivity, Dale was a Chief Administrative Officer for a Nova Scotia municipality, which experienced significant growth, including back-to-back years as being top of the list of Nova Scotia municipalities in annual property valuations. Dale is currently the Chief Administrative Officer for Native Council of Nova Scotia. He has completed the Executive Leadership Program at Cornell University.

Charlene brings to the table knowledge, commitment, and proven experience in support of agri-food innovation, entrepreneurship, and regional economic development, with a focus on disadvantaged groups. She has a multidisciplinary background in Urban & Regional Planning and Economic Development, and is a founding Board Member and current Treasurer of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) based in Brussels. She started the AIM to Grow platform to support improved local food production in Atlantic Canada and northern indigenous communities, and lectures at Webster University’s Leiden Campus in The Netherlands on marketing in sustainable ways. Through these organizations, she actively supports the development and expansion of entrepreneurship, local food production, and impactful business development.

Dianne is an entrepreneur by nature, having owned and operated three businesses and is an investor in several others. Dianne has served as the President and CEO of the Nova Scotia Co-operative Council for 25 years and since that time has been instrumental in the development of new and innovative economic tools and business support and financing programs across Atlantic Canada. She was the initiator of the first community economic development investment fund in Atlantic Canada—the Community Catalyst Fund. She is the author of, and currently manages a $210 million small business financing program, for Nova Scotia’s co-operative and credit union sector, the author and manager of the sector’s $1.5 million equity fund, and the author and manager of the credit unions $2 million immigrant financing program.

• PhD from Dalhousie University
• Experience in Postharvest Plant Physiology with 15 years in plant science research.
• Published several peer-reviewed scientific articles in the field of science
• Founded and built multi-million-dollar companies in logistics (Asante Logistic Group Inc.) and real estate (Asante Realty Inc.) with over 10 years’ experience in building and scaling profitable businesses.
• A big passion to build the community we live in, hence a continuous investment in the Truro-Colchester community and the people who live here.

• Ph.D. from the University of Adelaide, Australia
• Expertise in Plant Physiology, Environmental Stress Physiology, Seed Physiology, Postharvest physiology, Horticulture crops, Tissue and Cell culture Technologies, Controlled Environment Horticulture.
• Emeritus Professor, Dalhousie University
• Award winning- International Scientist.
• Over 30 years of experience in horticulture, plant physiology, postharvest physiology and Indoor horticulture systems.
• Supervised and trained over 250 highly qualified professional.
• Published over 100 peer-reviewed original scientific articles.
• Inventor/co-inventor of over 25 different products and technologies.
• 3 products and technologies are licensed for commercialization.

• MSc from Dalhousie University & University of Ghana
• Experience in Agricultural Economics with over 10 years’ experience in corporate financial management.
• Co-Founder of Asante Logistic Group and Asante Realty with a decade of experience in strict financial management.

• Ph.D. from the University of Adelaide, Australia
• Expertise in Plant Physiology, Environmental Stress Physiology, Seed Physiology, Postharvest physiology, Horticulture crops, Tissue and Cell culture Technologies, Controlled Environment Horticulture.
• Emeritus Professor, Dalhousie University
• Award winning- International Scientist.
• Over 30 years of experience in horticulture, plant physiology, postharvest physiology and Indoor horticulture systems.
• Supervised and trained over 250 highly qualified professional.
• Published over 100 peer-reviewed original scientific articles.
• Inventor/co-inventor of over 25 different products and technologies.
• 3 products and technologies are licensed for commercialization.

• PhD from Dalhousie University
• Experience in Postharvest Plant Physiology with 15 years in plant science research.
• Published several peer-reviewed scientific articles in the field of science
• Founded and built multi-million-dollar companies in logistics (Asante Logistic Group Inc.) and real estate (Asante Realty Inc.) with over 10 years’ experience in building and scaling profitable businesses.
• A big passion to build the community we live in, hence a continuous investment in the Truro-Colchester community and the people who live here.

• MSc student at Dalhousie University

Preethi joins VerFa with over 2years of industry research experience in horticulture focusing on Cold storage, CAS, and environmentally friendly packaging technologies for leafy greens. She also has an undergraduate degree with research in indoor microgreen production and a successful peer review publication.

Preethi’s ultimate goal is to support the team in developing protocols and integrate them for commercial production of microgreens with higher yield per unit volume space by maximizing the space utilization both horizontally and vertically.

MSc. Agriculture (Dalhousie University- Agricultural campus)

Sruti is passionate about sustainable disease management program. In her thesis research she worked on managing powdery mildew by application of seaweed extract. She published her research in esteemed peer reviewed journal such as Frontiers in Plant Sciences, Plant disease, and Plant pathology journal. She also worked as a research assistant at Dalhousie University where she standardised micropropagation of disease-free strawberry plants.

She had 4 years of research experience in sustainable agriculture, tissue culture and manuscript writing. She was awarded with certificate of Professional agrologist.

She is passionate to contribute to sustainable agriculture and minimize the use of chemical-based products in agricultural crops. She loves to spend time with family and gardening.

• Ph.D. from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (PB), India.
• Expertise in Processing and Food Engineering- Product design and Development, Thermal and Non-thermal Food Processing, Fruits and Vegetable Processing, Storage- Cold storage, CAS & MAP; Shelf-life study- Sensory, Quality analysis; Food Packaging- Biodegradable packaging, Nano Packaging, Antimicrobial Packaging; Plastic Engineering in Agriculture Structure and Environment Management.
• Developed Nano-functionalised Biodegradable Packaging Material for Food.
• Studied the Effect of Gamma Irradiation and Nano-functionalized Edible Film on Accelerated Shelf life of Food.
• Designed and developed over 28 different Maple products and technologies.
• Developed Automatic Healing and Hardening chamber for Round the Year Vegetable Graft Production.
• Teaching Experience in Engineering and Technologies.
• Published several peer-reviewed original research papers, review articles and book chapter in the field of Science and Engineering Technologies.
• Award winning- Dr. M. S. Randhawa Gold Medal from Punjab Agricultural University; Best poster presentation award from Birla Institute of Technology, Patna.

Koushika is pursuing a Master of Science in Agriculture at Dalhousie Agricultural Campus, following her dual degree program with Tamilnadu Agricultural University. Her research focuses on assessing the environmental impact of a novel wood preservative with Stella-Jones Inc. Previously, she investigated on nitrogen uptake efficiency using dehydrated poultry manure versus synthetic fertilizers. Actively involved in campus life, serving in leadership roles, mentorship of students, and work as a Teaching Assistant. Currently, Koushika is engaged as a Research Intern at VerFa , investigating into innovative radiation methods to mitigate microbial infestation in microgreens production.

Anagha is a Research Intern at VERFA Agri Food Innovations Inc. and an MSc candidate in Plant Sciences at Dalhousie University, where she focuses on developing sustainable nano-biostimulants from fish waste to enhance crop resilience. With dual BSc honours degrees in Agriculture from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and in Plant Science from Dalhousie, Anagha has received multiple accolades, including first place in the 3-Minute Thesis competition at the Canadian Tri-Society Conference. She is an advocate for agricultural literacy, volunteering for Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month to educate students on sustainable practices. Anagha also represented Canada as a delegate at UNITE 2030, collaborating on global sustainability solutions, and has served as a panelist at Thriving Futures 2023, where she shared her insights on green innovation. With her innovative thinking, commitment to excellence, and aspiration to create sustainable impact, Anagha is poised to become a future leader in sustainable agriculture. Her unique perspective as an international student equips her with a global mindset for developing solutions toward a more food-secure world.