Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms

This interview details Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms, a worker-owned cooperative based in the United States. The interview is with Katy Mejia, Co-Founder of Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms.

Source: Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms

What is the origin story of Mi Oh My Farms?

Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms is a worker-owned cooperative, founded in the summer of 2020 when Bronx resident, Joél Mejia, and several other Bronx residents set out to answer the need for access to healthy food in their community, using the innovative, earth-friendly agricultural practice of hydroponics. The “Mi” in our organization's name comes from Microgreens and the “My” comes from Mycelium, both powerhouse superfoods.  

Joél, an educator and social activist with a BA in Economics, was also inspired by cooperative economics as a path to resolving this issue, as well as transforming our economy into one that sustains and benefits the environment and community, rather than exploiting and extracting from them. Numerous information sessions have been held to educate people about becoming a worker-owner and cooperative economics in general, and after successfully vending at a new farmer’s market in the north Bronx area, a number of candidates trained to become worker-owners and spread the benefits of our products.

Source: Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms

We served over 100 customers that first summer, many of whom were first-time microgreens consumers, with many coming back week after week to purchase their weekly dose. Since then, we have launched the Bronx’s first microgreens and mushrooms farm share with the objective of increasing awareness, access, and consumption of these unique superfoods in the local community. With the aid of grant funds and support from cooperatives, we are also building and developing hydropnic S.T.E.A.M. curriculums in public schools which engage students in the building and maintenance of hydroponic systems.

Source: Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms



As we continue to create mutually beneficial partnerships with our neighbors, such as collecting coffee grounds from a local cafe for use in mushroom cultivation, thereby reducing waste, sharing our surplus microgreens in community fridges, little by little we make progress towards our goals. Our 3 week Home Hydroponics Master Course provides the materials for individuals and families to grow microgreens at home. We also continue to hold information sessions where we can share what we have learned about cooperative economics, which many studies prove is the single most viable way to improve our financial situation.

Our worker cooperative is operated by a diverse set of individuals with skills and passions that synchronize with the vision of the organization. As a worker-owned, democratically controlled business, we are able to prioritize what is best for our members and our community. We believe socially responsible, sustainable food production has the power to influence us on a nutritional, environmental and economic level. By connecting with our neighbors at markets and other events, we will continue to grow our curriculum, the home hydroponics workshops and our farm shares for individuals and local businesses to make our vision a reality.

Source: Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms

What are some of the biggest challenges facing Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms in the future? 

The Bronx is a food desert and is surrounded by industry, toxic air, with food choices that are far from fresh. It has been a challenge to educate the community about healthy food choices such as microgreens and mushrooms.

Source: Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms

What is unique about Mi Oh My Farms compared to competitors?

There are no other urban farms in the Bronx growing microgreens and mushrooms that are also offering educational courses.

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

Our team of worker-owners of eight is small but it is growing. We produce five different kinds of microgreens and 3 different kinds of Oyster mushrooms and are now growing Lion’s Mane.  

Our goal is to move our urban farm located in a cooperative apartment building to a space of at least 5,000 square feet so we can produce more superfoods and hold workshops in the same space.

Source: Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms

What are some goals in 2024 and beyond for Mi Oh My Farms?

Our goal is to have our hydroponics S.T.E.A.M. workshops in at least 5 different Bronx Public Schools and potentially even private schools. Another goal is to complete our hydroponics course curriculum for science classrooms.

Another goal is to have at least 50 CSA members receiving our mushrooms and microgreens on a weekly basis. Another goal is to move to a 5,000 square foot facility where we can produce more of our double extracted turkey tail and reishi mushroom tonics, grow more microgreens and a wider variety of mushrooms. If the space is large enough, we would also like to grow lettuce and other greens for local grocery stores.

A final dream is to form a strong partnership with a nearby community garden to hold mushroom workshops to demonstrate their ability to remediate the soil especially in polluted urban areas such as the Bronx.

Source: Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms

How can people connect with you or learn more about Mi Oh My Farms?

You can sign up for one of our courses or book a farm tour if you are in the Bronx area.

We are also currently building on our fully virtual course as well specifically for science classrooms so check back.

You can follow and share our videos on Instagram, sign up to our newsletter,donate or join our co-op!

Source: Mi Oh My Hydroponics Farms

Asia Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download the Free Sample Report

Mark-Horler

"For a target audience that is trying to understand the basics of vertical farming, this is a quality newsletter to subscribe to"

- James Pateras, CEO, Modular Farms Australia

North America Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download The Free Sample Report

Mark-Horler

"The North America Vertical Farming Companies Report 2023 aggregates many sources of public information on many different companies so that you don't have to do the research yourself, it's worth the money and saves a lot of time"

- John Ireland, CEO, NTP Technologies

Europe Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download the Free Sample Report

Helen Andrew Spare Harvest

"As a business development manager supporting the indoor agriculture, CEA, and food tech industries, I can say Urban Vine guides and their insider newsletter provide detailed information often difficult to find online."

- Irena Lundberg, CleanTech Invest Stockholm

Middle East Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download the Free Sample Report

Mark-Horler

"As a marketing professional in the indoor agriculture industry, Urban Vine's newsletters, reports and guides are an excellent resource for keeping up-to-date with news and developments in vertical farming."

- Steven Mitchell, Product Manager, Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS) UK

All Indoor Farming Company Interviews

Sapling

May 16, 2024

This interview details Sapling, an indoor farming technology company based in the UK. The interview is with Manish Patel, Managing Director at Sapling Automation Ltd. To learn more about Sapling and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

FibreDust

May 16, 2024

This interview details FibreDust, a company based in the United States. The interview is with Andrew D Pidgeon, Director of Marketing at FibreDust. To learn more about FibreDust and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Tindle

May 20, 2024

This interview details Tindle, a company based in the United States. The interview is with Andre Menezes, Co-Founder of Tindle. To learn more about Tindle and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Wageningen Economic Research

May 16, 2024

This interview details Wageningen Economic Research, a social-economic research institute based in the Netherlands. The interview is with Coert Bregman, Horticulture Researcher at Wageningen Economic Research. To learn more about Wageningen Economic Research and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Independent Living Base

May 16, 2024

This interview details Independent Living Base, an indoor farming technology company based in France. The interview is with Pascal Benveniste, President of Independent Living Base. To learn more about Independent Living Base and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

CHAP Solutions

May 16, 2024

This interview details CHAP, a company based in the UK. The interview is with Fraser Black, CEO of CHAP. To learn more about CHAP and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Maia Farms

May 9, 2024

This interview details Maia Farms, an indoor farming company based in Canada. The interview is with Gavin Schneider, CEO & Co-Founder of Maia Farms. To learn more about Maia Farms and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

CIOPORA

May 22, 2024

This interview details CIOPORA, a global association dedicate to promote plant breeders’ innovation and protection. The interview is with Andrés Velásquez, Director PR and Communications at CIOPORA. To learn more about CIOPORA and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Purdue University

May 6, 2024

The interview is with Cary Mitchell, Professor Horticulture at Purdue University. To learn more about Purdue University and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

VoltServer

May 6, 2024

This interview details VoltServer, a company based in the United States. The interview is with James Eaves, Ph.D., Indoor Agriculture Director at VoltServer. To learn more about VoltServer and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview