NEW YORK, NY - “Biology is our technology.” That is one of the first statements Eric Greifenberger, Upward Farms’ Vice President of Marketing and Sales, makes to me as we dive into an exploration of how the company has harnessed innovation to revitalize the indoor ag industry, bringing an exclusive benefit to both retailers and consumers.
“At Upward Farms, biology is our technology. We’ve reimagined the indoor agricultural process, combining vertical farming with aquaponics—a process that uses fish to fertilize crops in a complete ecosystem,” Eric explains. “Our aquaponic vertical farms are natural ecosystems that foster a healthy and powerful microbiome that eliminates the need for synthetic chemicals like pesticides, antibiotics, or fertilizers to deliver GMO-free plants and fish. This approach allows us to tackle the issues that have prevented vertical farms from achieving field-parity scale, eliminating crop disease, and achieving industry-leading yields.”
This unique process allows the supplier to bring a diverse lineup of microgreens to market, which currently includes the Mighty Microgreens Mix, featuring a bright and hearty mix of broccoli, kale, and kohlrabi, as well as the Spicy Microgreens Mix, which utilizes a mix of mustard, kohlrabi, and radish to create a sharp and spicy flavor.
“Our high-quality microgreens have a unique combination of three key benefits: they’re USDA Certified Organic, locally grown, and washed and ready-to-eat,” Eric explains. “Our microgreens are a differentiated offering, bringing better texture, vibrant colors, diverse flavors, and rich aromas to the consumer. Until today, microgreens have been primarily relegated to farmers markets given they cannot be grown outdoors on the broadacre, but as we scale indoors, we’ll grow and be able to offer an array of flavorful microgreens mixes to all food retailers. Our goal is to generate shopper excitement through a lineup of nutrient-dense and delicious microgreen mixes. We’re on a mission to reinvent the salad aisle.”
With such high quality and a host of alluring benefits, placing these microgreens in the produce department is a boon for sales, and Eric has even more tips in store for maximizing category success.
“The right assortment is critical when it comes to meeting a broad set of needs among the consumer base. Retailers need to balance items that are staples for most households with new, unique offerings that can bring added excitement to the category,” Eric explains. “Offering culinary-based meal solution ideas through shopper marketing tactics can also help educate and inspire them to use leafy greens in more interesting ways.”
As its ambitious strategies achieve rapid growth in the microgreens category, Upward Farms is continuing to fortify its brand and team up with its retail allies to strengthen the category at large.
“We will continue to drive the brand through the right support, future innovation, and by working closely with our retail partners like Whole Foods Market to identify the best ways to grow not only our brand but the category overall,” Eric concludes.
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