How to start a microgreens business
Who we are
We have been growing hydroponically since 2014 and designing systems since 2017. At our height we were selling into 15 grocery stores and 30 restaurants at one time.
The hard part was never growing. It was selling and running the operation.
Start with buyers, not equipment
Find out who will buy before you buy anything. Restaurants, grocery stores, farmers markets and caterers all buy differently. Talk to them. Ask what they use now and how much.
Then check what your competition charges and get close to that price. From there, decide how much volume you can offer at that price.
Size it in your own units
Most growers describe their plans in square feet and pounds. Start there and work back to equipment. Per harvest, the StarterKit yields about 8 lb, the AutoKit about 20 lb, and our Commercial Production Racks about 108 lb.
Most microgreens go from planting to harvest in about 8 to 10 days. Don't plant everything at once. Stagger your plantings so one set of channels is germinating while the rest are growing. When one set comes out for harvest, the next set is ready to go in.
The workflow
Every cycle is the same: plant, germinate, grow, harvest, clean the mats. The step by step is in how to grow microgreens hydroponically, and the full manual is our Grow Guide.
We started out building our own equipment from whatever we had on hand. What we design now handles the parts that ate our day: watering, lighting and airflow on a schedule, reusable grow mats instead of soil, and harvesting with the mats hung vertically. See the AutoKit and our microgreen grow racks.
The rest of the room
Growing is only one part of the space. Plan for a germination area, a harvest area with a floor drain if you can get one, a place to wash and dry mats, and cold storage. Keep the cooler at 32 to 36°F, and keep greens below 41°F at all times.
Food safety
Wash your hands often. Sanitize harvest tools before every use. Wipe down work surfaces before you handle product. Keep the cooler clean and dry. Frequent handwashing does more than gloves that touch every surface in the room.
Before you sell, check with your local health department on licensing and insurance.
Costs and funding
Run your own numbers in the Profit Calculator: your space, your crops, your prices. If you need help paying for equipment, search for grants in the Grant Finder.