Microgreen production as a business

Microgreen production can be a profitable business. Investments in this sector pay off pretty quickly. You can receive finished products without leaving your home, which eliminates the cost of renting premises. First, you need to draw up a business plan, consider market trends, find ways to sell the product. After doing the preparatory work, you can buy seeds, equipment and get down to business.

Drawing up a business plan for the production of microgreens

Before considering growing microgreens as a type of business, you should carefully study the features of the process, calculate costs, and determine demand. You need to find out what equipment you need, what is the technology for obtaining sprouts, choose suppliers of seeds and consumables.

When making calculations, you need to provide for the purchase:

• containers;
• shelving;
• irrigation systems;
• lighting devices;
• planting material.

The equipment can additionally include ventilation and heating systems.

To get a harvest on a large scale, you will need a special "farm" for microgreening, which is a large multi-tiered bed with fully automated control.

In addition, the financial part of the business plan should also take into account the costs of electricity, water, advertising, taxes and other possible expenses. It will be necessary to draw up a development plan for a month.

The growing cycle of microgreens (microgreens) is on average 10 days (8-14 days depending on the culture). It is required to provide a sales channel in advance, prepare packaging materials, and work out delivery details.

How to grow microgreens for sale?

Microgreens are young sprouts of cereals, greens and some vegetables at the stage of appearance of 2 true leaves. It is at this stage of growth that the plant contains the maximum amount of nutrients, which it later spends on its development.

Compared to adult specimens, microgreens contain tens of times more:

• vitamins;
• minerals;
• biologically active substances.

Before developing a startup project, you need to determine the volume of production for yourself and decide whether microgreens will be grown at home or will need to install a greenhouse. Some people start a business in a garage or rented space.

For beginners, it is better to try their hand at home for a start. You should start by installing the equipment and connecting it.

For microgreening, conveyor growing technology is suitable. It will be necessary to sow a new batch of seeds every day, in this case, the harvest can also be obtained daily.

As inventory you will need:

• containers for soaking seeds;
• low containers for sowing;
• soil (when grown in the ground);
• buckets;
• watering cans.

Before sowing, the seeds are soaked for several hours. Then the planting material is laid out in containers intended for germination. Place special hydroponic mats or mineral wool on the bottom of the container as a substrate. The seeds germinate in about 3 days. From this moment, the containers are rearranged under the lighting fixtures. After 5-7 days, microgreens will be ready for sale.

It must be borne in mind that each crop requires certain conditions for itself in which the germination process will take place. It is necessary to individually select the parameters of temperature and illumination. So far, there is little work in this area, so beginners verify the technology by trial and error, exchange experience with each other on forums. You can get training from those who started growing microgreens for sale earlier and managed to achieve success in this.

How to sell grown microgreens?

Growing products is only half the battle. It is necessary to establish an uninterrupted implementation of microgreens. The specificity of the business is that the sprouts have a short shelf life (3-5 days). The microgreen grown in the ground can be realized for a little longer. With this technology, sowing is carried out in disposable trays, along with which microgreens are then sold.

Microgreens market in Russia

In order to establish sales through large retail chains or catering outlets, you will need a package of documents. It will be enough to issue an individual entrepreneur or register an LLC. To begin with, you still need to establish a business. And only after reaching a certain level, you will have to deal with the registration of the necessary documentation.

The demand for microgreens is quite high today. Products are readily purchased by:

• a cafe;
• restaurants;
• snack bars;
• hotels;
• the shops;
• supermarkets.

The demand for microgreens is due to its recent popularization and extraordinary benefits. Sprouts are added to salads, cocktails, sushi, used as a side dish and to decorate dishes.

How to meet the demand for microgreens?

To sell the first batch of microgreens, you need to make a list of cafes, shops and restaurants that have a perspective in terms of cooperation. First, you will need to personally visit the selected establishments in order to present your product and jointly agree on the terms of purchase. You can pre-agree on the date of the event by phone. It is better to take with you several samples of microgreens at once. You also need to have a business card and a price list. On the spot, you can contact the manager of the establishment or the chef.

Advertising mailings on social networks and various messengers should be carried out on a regular basis. Practice shows that about half of potential customers who receive an advertising offer respond to it with consent.

Real Microgreening Experience for Sale

The real experience of “urban farmers” shows that even a person who is far from agriculture and does not have extensive knowledge of cultivation of cultivated plants can successfully develop a business on microgreens.

Starting small and inspired by success, many combine the cultivation of microgreen with other professional activities and receive an additional good income. Gradually, the "farm" can be expanded, which will allow you to sell a lot of microgreens and significantly increase the revenue stream.

The business of growing microgreens in Russia is still only gaining momentum. There are positive aspects to this for entrepreneurs. The market is not yet oversaturated, there is practically no competition among manufacturers. Calculations show that the prime cost of microgreens averages about 10% of the final price, and an investment of $ 500 is enough to bring a startup to life at the first stage. All investments pay off in a short time and bring a solid profit.