1. Tell us about the inspiration that prompted the start of Plantmaker? Some time ago I was watching a news report that was covering our "Global Food Crisis" highlighting the ever-increasing need to produce more food with less resources. I learned that by 2050 we'd need to produce twice as much food as we do currently, for an additional 2 billion people, and with more than 1/3 less farmable land. In addition to this more than 80% of the population would live in cities and the growing effects of growing climate change are compounding the issue. We need produce more with less, so I thought lets grow "UP." This was before vertical farming began to take hold, I came up with one initial invention... but then said, we need to bring it home. Produce our own fresh, safe, organic food right in the comfort of our own homes; and a lot of it! 2. How does Plantmaker contribute to the betterment of society? Plantmaker helps do a few things: 1. Reduces carbon emissions in the production and transport of food along with water and resource waste 2. Reduces food waste in 2 ways: I. As we grow and harvest our own food we only harvest what we need II. Our grow pods are made from recycled plant waste and help non-profits and businesses reduce or eliminate disposal costs 3. Improve Health and Nutrition helping fight obesity and disease by making healthy options more readily available 4. Long term we aim to do the following: I. Have our systems integrated with at risk and impoverished communities that most times have little exposure to health and fresh food options II. Have our systems used as medical devices as Doctors prescribe food for health, nutrition, and lifestyle changes. III. Have another proprietary part of our business used in interplanetary colonization research in joint collaboration with NASA. 3. As the market continues to invite competition, even in the sustainability and social responsibility space, where do you see Plantmaker fitting into the ecosystem in the next 5-10 years? Plantmaker will be the leader in global plant cultivation creating networks of individuals, businesses, organizations, and even governments to grow more things in more places. Our network of growers will help dramatically reduce the cost of fresh food, make it more readily available, and strive to create and promote health education awareness. We will aim to provide all our products and services while maintaining a net-net carbon negative status. 4. What are your most popular products? We are pre-revenue currently. Our initial product launch will focus on the 32-plant producing automated in-home unit. Our most popular plants may include herbs like basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, and mint. We'll also include tomatoes, peppers, lettuces, and even mini eggplants.
5. If you had to give a piece of advice to a start-up company, what would it be?
1. Learn everything about every aspect of your business!!
2. Spend as little money as possible and raise money when you don't think you need it.
3. Set goals and meet them relentlessly
4. MAKE MONEY WITH YOUR BUSINESS AS FAST AS POSSIBLE IN THE SMALLEST WAY
5. Get OUT there, meet your customers and listen to them; meet other entrepreneurs and learn from them- good and bad.
6. To start, it's more important to make something a small amount of people LOVE... than a lot of people like
7. Don't quit! Learn, move, improve, execute, repeat.
Thank you so much for sharing your story with Sustainable Inc. !
Check out Plantmaker online: https://plantmaker.com
Disclaimer: Sustainable Inc. does not endorse businesses or their practices. The purpose of this blog is to provide information to readers.