(Image source from: azfamily.com)
"Right now Nick and I are the owners, the farmers, the delivery guys and salesmen. We do everything," said Jared Garcia, owner of Mesa Micro Farm.
Nick Torpey and Garcia, co-owners of Mesa Micro Farm, best friends since grade school and moved to Mesa from Rochester, New York with one goal in mind. Creating a sustainable urban micro-farm. Six months ago, that dream became reality.
"We just kinda started knocking on doors and grew sample batches and went around to some of the restaurants we figured may use the greens," said Torpey.
When they say micro, they mean micro. Inside Torpey's garage, they built a 96-square-foot greenhouse for the micro-farm that is producing about 50 pounds of microgreens a week.
Microgreen is a green that is right before a baby green and right after a sprout," said Torpey. The tiny green things many would just see as garnish on their plate but they are super flavorful and jam pack with nutrients.
"Because everything we do is grow to order. If someone orders it, we grow it," said Garcia.One of their top clients is none other than chef Justin Beckett, owner of Beckett’s Table and Southern Rail. He tasted the product and knew he had to have it.
"The flavor profile of incredible microgreen is just limitless opportunity for every dish, smoothies, puree, garnish. We order the basil, sunflower shoots and speckled peas. Pretty much if they grow it and suggest it, I buy it," said Beckett.
The list of microgreens the farm grows is long and impressive, taking between seven to 20 days to grow. These entrepreneurs have big plans for their micro-farm.
"I’d like to see this be the biggest smallest farm you've ever seen," said Torpey.They hope to get more support from the local restaurant scene.
"I think Mesa Micro Farm is waiting to blow up. They are going to be in every restaurant across the Valley," said Beckett.That dream could come true.
“As long as we stay sustainable and keep the quality of product high and the business is doing well, I’m happy,” said Garcia.
By Lokesh
