Brick Street Farms

This interview details Brick Street Farms, an indoor vertical farm based in the United States. The interview is with Shannon O’Malley, Co-Founder of Brick Street Farms.

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Can you share the origin story of Brick Street Farms?

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Brick Street Farms began in 2016, stemming from a passion to bring large-scale commercial agriculture directly to consumers. My husband, a software engineer, and I, a former electrical engineer at Duke Energy, started experimenting with hydroponic growing in our garage. Our successful neighborhood supply of leafy greens and herbs led us to purchase and rehabilitate a vacant lot in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida.

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We innovated by using shipping containers for farming, initially motivated by budget constraints. The company's initial focus was on wholesaling to restaurants and groceries, but soon pivoted to include direct-to-consumer sales. Our brand, prioritizing non-GMO, clean, and long-lasting produce, quickly gained traction, leading to the establishment of our storefront and home delivery services within St. Petersburg. Currently, 85% of our business is wholesale, 10% grocery, and 5% direct to consumer, a segment we're keen on expanding.

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Are there other goals that Brick Street Farms is working towards?

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Our primary goal is to increase direct-to-consumer sales, as it offers the best margins. Having maximized our current capacity with 20 containers, our next steps involve expanding our geographical reach and enhancing internal systems. We recently completed a funding round and are exploring merger opportunities for growth. The focus is on establishing a second hub location in Florida, possibly in Orlando, Miami, or Sarasota. This expansion will allow us to continue bringing production closer to consumption, a core philosophy of Brick Street Farms.

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How much production are your containers currently achieving?

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Our container farms are highly productive, yielding around 3,500 pounds of leafy greens and up to 800-1,000 pounds of microgreens weekly. We're fully subscribed for leafy greens but have substantial capacity for increasing microgreen production. We're seeking large wholesale or institutional customers to fully utilize our microgreen production capabilities.

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How are the containers designed and what is their capacity?

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The 20 containers at Brick Street Farms are custom-designed by my husband and me, with patents filed for their unique features. Seventeen containers are dedicated to leafy greens, and three to microgreens, using different farming models – NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) for leafy greens and flood and drain for microgreens. The entire operation is controlled by a central "brain" container, which also handles propagation, filtration, and fertigation. This innovative setup, including water reclamation and treatment, is a significant part of our proprietary technology.

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What is your team structure, and what have been some key learnings since starting?

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Brick Street Farms employs around 36 people, with approximately 75% involved in farming and production. Key learnings include the importance of focus and maintaining a strong company culture, especially in an industry without existing talent pools. Employee retention and training are ongoing challenges. Our experience with construction and expansion during the pandemic taught us about the unpredictability of costs and timelines, reinforcing the need for resilience and adaptability in entrepreneurship.

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What is your strategy for working with restaurants and grocery stores?

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We collaborate with a wide range of customers, from small local eateries to larger chains and grocery stores like Publix. Our approach is to offer standardized pricing with volume discounts and to provide value-added services like custom blends and flavor profiles. This customer-centric approach, combined with high-quality produce, has been key to our success in the B2B segment.

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What are the future plans for product diversification at Brick Street Farms?

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We are excited about diversifying our product range beyond leafy greens. Our latest venture is into strawberry farming, with a dedicated container currently being trialed. While we have high expectations, we are cautious in predicting the output until we have concrete results. This development is part of our broader strategy to innovate and expand our product offerings, keeping pace with market demands and consumer preferences.

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How can people connect with you or learn more about Brick Street Farms?

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Brick Street Farms stands at the forefront of urban agriculture innovation, blending engineering expertise with a passion for sustainable, locally-produced food. As we look to the future, our focus remains on expanding our direct-to-consumer segment, increasing microgreen production, and exploring new product lines like strawberries. Our journey reflects a commitment to resilience, adaptability, and customer-centric innovation in the urban farming industry. For more, visit: https://brickstreetfarms.com

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