Food on the Grow Farms Ltd. is located in Pitt Meadows, BC. As a small farm, they produce microgreens which are essentially young vegetable greens with an aromatic flavour and concentrated nutrient content. They are proud of the quality of their products as well as their affordability. Every product they sell is packaged in compostable containers, so you don’t have to feel guilty about your carbon footprint. We had a chance to interview owner Kyle about his microgreens. Check out his answers below!

What do you produce at Food on the Grow Farms Ltd., and what products do you offer?

We produce various healthy microgreens, including Sunflower Microgreens, Broccoli Microgreens, Speckled Pea Microgreens, Red Radish Microgreens, Arugula Microgreens, Tatsoi Microgreens and Wheat Grass. All of our microgreens are sold living and growing in completely compostable containers. This allows our products to maintain peak freshness, flavour and nutritional value when enjoyed by our customers. 

Four of our Microgreens are also available in a harvested, pre-washed salad that can be enjoyed directly out of the bowl or added to salad customers have made at home. The salad mix includes Sunflower, Pea Shoot, Broccoli and Radish. The plastic bowl is also made from compostable plastic. Not all composting facilities can compost the plastic, so please check with your local green-bin provider before discarding the bowls into the green bins. 

We are currently expanding our flavour profile and adding Ruby Beets and Kale to the mix over the next few weeks.

Our products are grown with 100% certified organic seeds, 100% certified organic soil, and absolutely no chemicals, pesticides, or other sprays. We even use filtered water that averages around 12-15 PPM of total dissolved solids. The filtration we use does not strip the water of healthy minerals that the plants can use as food but removes any harmful metals and chlorine. The water that comes from your tap is probably around 200-350 PPM. 

What do you or your company stand for? 

We stand for many things. The first and foremost is freedom. The freedom to choose how we want to live our lives and what we want to eat. We are big on supporting small businesses and our local communities. We believe in personal responsibility. How does this translate into what we do, you ask? Well, we think people should have access to healthy, nutritious food, free from genetic modification and cancer-causing pesticides. We believe in permaculture philosophies, that food should not be stripped of its nutrition, nor should it create excess waste or harm the earth. We stand for working with nature and not against it.

What’s the story behind it all? 

I worked in the Pest Control industry when I suffered an injury at work resulting in Post-Concussion Syndrome. While I was off work, my wife started researching healthy foods to give my body, most notably my brain, the nutrition it needed to recover. That is when we came across microgreens. I was only capable of very low-intensity activity while recovering and decided I would try my hand at growing some microgreens in my basement. As time went on, I found that not only were the microgreens delicious and nutritious, but I enjoyed the whole process of growing them. After recovering and returning to work, I started to wonder if it would be possible to grow microgreens for a living. I started doing some market research and found a business for sale. I couldn’t believe it; it was almost too good to be true. I couldn’t afford it, so I let go of that dream and continued in the Pest Control industry. Shortly after making that decision, the business I was looking at was no longer for sale. Somebody had bought it. 

As time went on, I had this nagging feeling that I wasn’t supposed to be doing Pest Control and that I should be doing something that is not only a benefit to people’s health but also something that I enjoy. So, I started looking at microgreens as a business again. As fate would have it, the business that I had been looking at several months prior was now back on the market. I quickly jumped on the opportunity and reached out to the owners. I had no idea how I would come up with the funds, but I went for it. I purchased the business with my brother, and now here we are, doing what we love and sharing the health benefits of these amazing products with our local community.

How do you feel about the Fraser Valley and about supporting local businesses?

We love the Fraser Valley and are huge supporters of local businesses. We buy all of our soil from Amsterdam Greenhouses & Garden Centre located in Pitt Meadows, just minutes from our farm. The great part is that this soil is still a semi-local product as it is produced on Vancouver Island. Not only is it the best Certified Organic Soil on the market, but it is also Canadian made and us purchasing it supports our local community. We also support local businesses since all of the stores that sell our products are local businesses. We do not offer any of our products in big-box retailers giving the local businesses the advantage over their corporate competition. If you want living microgreens, you’ve got to support local businesses. They support us, and we support them; it’s a win-win for everyone!

What does the future have in store?

The future has us expanding our product line to include several “Salad Boosters” (more mixed microgreens), growing herbs such as cilantro, basil and dill, as well as cucumbers, tomatoes, and a variety of “living lettuces”. We plan to be your one-stop-shop for all of your healthy greens needs. 

How has your relationship with your customers evolved over the years?

We’ve only owned the business for five months, but the business has evolved from Farmer’s Markets to retail stores and now to online distribution through DirectFood.store. We continue to nurture and grow our relationships with our retailers as well as our local communities. You can often find us answering questions and educating our customers while we are on-site re-stocking the shelves. It’s always nice to get to interact with the people who buy and eat our products. In today’s food economy, it is not often that you get to talk directly to the farmer who grew your food. We love this aspect of the customer relationship and look forward to delivery days to talk to people and answer their questions. We encourage customers to reach out to us directly via email or by telephone as we are happy to answer any questions.

You’ve got to experience the freshness of living and growing microgreens! They are packed with essential vitamins and nutrients in each tiny stem and leaf. They also carry an intensified flavour to make it deliciously easy to eat your recommended veggies for the day. Microgreens are incredibly versatile for consumption and are commonly added to salads, soups, sandwiches, smoothies or eaten plain as a beautiful garnish or a healthy snack. Visit Food on the Grow Farms Ltd.’s page to shop their microgreens today!