McNabb MicroFarm

This interview details McNabb MicroFarm, an indoor farming company based in the United States. The interview is with Lauren McNabb, Head of Marketing at McNabb MicroFarm.

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What is the origin story of McNabb MicroFarm?

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Towards the end of the pandemic, Ryan was laid off from his job. We had just bought a house and decided to finally start our garden! We eat a plant-based diet and wanted to start growing our own food, but needed a way to bring in income a little quicker. A friend had mentioned microgreens as an idea to make some income, so we started researching and were blown away by how fast microgreens grow and how nutritious they are! We decided to invest in a course and all the supplies and McNabb Microfarm was born.

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What are some of the biggest challenges facing McNabb MicroFarm in the future? 

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We spent the Summer expanding our grow space, and it's already almost full! We have huge goals to expand into as many restaurants, caterers, schools and more as we can, but will be limited by time and space very soon. 

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What is unique about McNabb MicroFarm compared to competitors? 

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Ryan and Lauren, the owners of McNabb Microfarm are Environmental Vegans and try to bring that into everything we do here at the farm. Our vertical grow space runs on about 80% solar power right now and our goal is to get it to 100% by the end of 2024. We also don't let anything go to waste! Used coco coir gets composted for use in the garden. Leftover microgreens are either dehydrated into our signature seasonings or freeze dried for our greens powder. We are truly a family operation! We aren't just a husband and wife team- our son helps out where he can, too! We also collaborate with other local businesses to make and use our products like our local sea salt vendor, and the salsa vendor that uses our dried greens in his salsa. 

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What are some other relevant metrics of the company (growing area size, production quantity, team size, etc.)?

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Our new grow space is a little under 200 sqft, run by a team of just two of us. Ryan does all the planting, growing, maintaining and harvesting/packaging the microgreens and Lauren takes care of social media, accounting and customer service. We current attend one farmers' market a week and service about 20 restaurants as well as some home delivery customers. 

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What are some goals in 2024 and beyond for McNabb MicroFarm?

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Our 2024 goal is to max out the grow space with larger orders for restaurants and distributors, as well as expand our offerings of different microreens and value added products to sell at the markets. We also want to get to 100% solar powered by the end of the year. 

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How can people connect with you or learn more about McNabb MicroFarm?

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Check out our website www.mcnabbmicrofarm.com, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok at @mcnabbmicrofarm. 

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