Ep. 016: Growing for the future with Green Up Farm

Toni, co-founder of Green Up Farm, takes us through everything you need to know about indoor hydroponic vertical farming: from what you need to get started, routes to market and the challenges of being zero waste. We loved this episode for Toni’s transparency and the strength of the values which underpin the success of Green Up Farm.

************

SIGN UP for the VOLUNTEERS DAY: https://www.grangeproject.co.uk/volunteers-day

************

Your Hosts

• Tom Constable: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-constable/
• Chloe Constable: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloe-constable-24155821b/

Grange Project Contact & Social Media

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grange.project/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/grangeproject
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GrangeProject
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-constable/

Our Guest

Toni is the co-founder of Green Up Farm, alongside her husband, Alex. They had a dream to set up an environmental and nature friendly method of producing food and following extensive research, they came across Indoor Hydroponic Vertical Farming. This led to the creation of Green Up Farm, Pembrokshire’s first indoor hydroponic farm growing microgreens, micro herbs and specialty crops for the hospitality industry.

• https://www.instagram.com/greenupfarm/

Listen out for:

[00:00:00] Tom and Chloe share updates from the Grange Project: a visit from Sara King at Rewilding Britain, our volunteer day and a new starter to the team. 

[00:04:56] We welcome Toni to the podcast and she shares the origins of Green Up Farm.

[00:10:21] Toni describes the fundamentals of the business: what an indoor farm is, what they grow and who they sell to.  

[00:14:50] We talk about the problems and possibilities of being a zero waste business, automation and energy sources.

[00:24:21] Tom questions Toni about the scaling of the business, generating custom and the financial viability.

[00:30:54] Toni shares the advice she would give others interested in setting up an indoor farm and ecopreneurs, the possibilities of franchising and their vision for Green Up Farm.   

[00:36:44] Chloe and Tom reflect on the interview and what resonated most for them from the conversation. 

[00:40:10] We share an interview with Ella, the first recruit for the Grange Project, who is helping us with social media and community engagement.

Keen for more:

https://greenupfarm.co.uk: Explore the website to find out more about the benefits of indoor hydroponic produce, microgreens and some beautiful images of the produce itself!

Mentioned in this episode:

Visit & Stay at the Grange Project

Would you like to escape the trappings of the modern world and wake-up in the morning to one of the best views in South Wales, where only the birds are noisy? We have two beautiful and sustainably built ‘tiny homes’, carefully located in secluded locations across our 80 acre rewilding project.

Visit Grange Project