ONC got its start in 1996 through the acquisition of a small nutraceutical company that operated a manufacturing facility in Cape Breton, distributing Omega-3 fish oil products to veterinary hospitals throughout Canada. Robert Orr was hired as President & CEO to research and establish global networks in the then-fledgling nutraceutical industry - companies exploring specific health and medical benefits of food products and supplements.

ONC's office was set up in Clearwater headquarters in Bedford, Nova Scotia and retained research facilities at Dalhousie University in Halifax - an institution known worldwide for its medical research and innovation.

In 1998 ONC began renovation to a new facility in Mulgrave next to the current operation, and in 1999 ONC began producing high-quality purified Omega-3 EPA/DHA oil for the global supplement market.

Soon after, Ocean Nutrition's R&D Department developed a breakthrough technology that transformed fish oil into a tasteless, odorless powder finer than flour. Called Powder-loc™, the micro-encapsulated product could withstand almost any food manufacturing process - an industry first and a huge success.

The company's first micro-encapsulation plant opened in 2004 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.