Should you set up a microgreens farm business in the UK?
The question on an ever-increasing number of people’s lips right now, should I set up my own microgreens farm in the UK? This question in its various forms drops in my inbox most weeks.
I want to start my brand new blog (!) discussing this topic and hopefully helping you to answer this question for yourself.
So if you’ve found this post, chances are that microgreens growing and turning it into a business has already caught your attention. Maybe it’s the big sparkly headlines of making thousands of dollars a month growing these tiny plants that frequently come out of the US and Canada. Maybe it’s the being based at home with a flexible work schedule that’s caught your attention, or even just the simplicity of growing plants all day for a living. Whatever it is, you’re here and I’m pleased you are!
The truth is, all these attractive features of a successful microgreens business are real, plus many more.
So we’ve heard online that having your own microgreens business is the best thing since sliced bread, but does that translate to the UK? My answer is yes, it absolutely does and I experience it daily running my microgreens farm. Our local communities on this beautiful island love eating microgreens just as much as anywhere else and as micros are still relatively new in the UK, that gives us microgreens farmers a fantastic opportunity to be the go to suppliers in our own communities.
I set up my own microgreens farm – Nell’s Urban Greens – in Leeds, UK, at the start of 2017. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing, but ultimately I had a strong feeling that people in my local community, and especially the independent cafes and restaurants around our city, would love microgreens. Ultimately, they taste amazing and people love eating!
I crossed my fingers, made the commitment and started growing my first tray of radish microgreens. 5 and a half years later, I ridiculously love my microgreens farm, it’s thriving and my life has significantly improved for the better as a result.
A microgreens business is definitely a great fit for me, but it won’t be for everyone.
If you’re at the beginning of this journey yourself, I highly recommend answering these questions first before you do anything else:
1. Do I love growing microgreens?
Seems obvious, but I’ve come across a number of people over the years that have got so excited over their new business idea that they’ve bought all the kit, watched a thousand You Tube videos, scouted out potential customers, got a grow space set up, but haven’t actually grown any microgreens yet. Don’t get me wrong, these are all important parts of setting up your microgreens business and you can totally luck out and love the growing after you’ve done all this. However there’s always the chance that you might not enjoy the process and routine (unlikely, but a chance!) then your time and money have been wasted. So just get growing first. You need some kind of container (I started with a lunch box), fill it with compost, sprinkle some seed on top, water them and pop on a windowsill. Catch the bug, then move forward.
2. Are there people in my local area that will want to buy my microgreens?
It's a no brainer, but you need customers nearby to sell your microgreens to for your business to be a success.
Consider the following for your area:
a) Do you have independent cafes and restaurants relatively nearby? Especially those that love using local produce and might even already be using microgreens? (looking at their Instagram account is a great way to find this out!).
b) Do you have a local residential community that you think are keen on sourcing and supporting local, nutritious food, who also have a little more to spend on a more premium product?
c) Do you have local farmer's markets or food events that you could have a regular stall at?
d) Do you have local, higher-end green grocers, delis or health food shops that could stock your product on their shelves?
You don't need all of these customer streams to make your business profitable, but as many as possible will give you more opportunities for selling and make your business more sustainable in the long term.
3. Is it for you?
In a nut shell, does a microgreens business suit what you enjoy doing and how you’d like to work?
A) Do you enjoy the microgreens growing process? (see point 1)
B) Do you enjoy working on your own, at home and to your own schedule?
C) Do you enjoy doing semi-regular, repetitive tasks, some of which are physically active?
D) Are you passionate about growing food for your local community?
E) Would you be happy to grow a business steadily and purposefully?
F) Your income can fluctuate on a weekly basis - would this freak you out?!
If these seem like a good fit for you, then you may have found your brand new business! Now it’s time to progress….
My blog posts will be out weekly and will cover all aspects of setting up, running and scaling up a microgreens farm specifically in the UK, as well as discussing current topics that affect our businesses and the industry as a whole. My hope is that these posts will be interesting and of use to complete beginners, right through to experienced microgreens farmers alike. I also love chatting all things micros, so please feel free to get in touch – amy@farmmicrogreens.co.uk.
If you’d like to dip your toe in and quickly get started, then have a good read through my free 14-page, content packed Mini UK Microgreens Business Guide.
You’ll get:
5 great reasons for starting a microgreens business in the UK right now
A basic equipment list
A step-by-step guide to growing and harvesting radish shoots and pea shoots, including UK pricing suggestions and profit margins.
A how-to guide to selling your microgreens to chefs, restaurants and your local community.