Eureka Moment

When we launched, our goal was modest: grow five trays a week for people on our street, then try a farmers market. Within days, a private chef and a café owner were at our door. We set up a Twitter account, and within hours, a local fruit and veg merchant got in touch. We started with one rack and suddenly needed many more. It was then we realised there was a real gap in the market. Chefs were relying on imported microherbs with long transit times and short shelf lives. In contrast, our produce was harvested and delivered the same day-bursting with flavour and staying fresh significantly longer. 

Our second big turning point came with the opportunity to move to Glanllyn Farm. We'd considered commercial units, but they weren't suited to growing edible flowers, a much larger investment would be needed to grow them hydroponically. Instead, we took on a lease for a 3-acre field with an existing polytunnel-far bigger than we were looking for, but the low rent and location was too good to pass up. By investing in infrastructure like shipping containers and electricity, we've created a flexible, low-cost base with the potential to grow conventional veg as well

Finance 

The early interest meant we had to act fast. We borrowed £3,000 to quadruple our growing space. Since then, we've grown through small, incremental expansions by reinvesting profits. Most recently, we secured a £20,000 loan from the Development Bank of Wales to build our new microfarm

Regrets & What we would have changed?

We wish we'd been braver about hiring. We've spent too long working for the business, not on it. Our daughter's new apprenticeship is hopefully the first step toward building a confident, capable team.

For more information visit Fresh and Tasty Microgreens [1]