CURRENT CHALLENGES

Right now, despite COVID-19 repercussions, food remains a necessity, and there exists an opportunity to build resilience into our business models. 

As a result, many businesses, food-related or not, can create a viable new stream of income by growing your own produce with a container farm.  

WHAT IS CONTAINER FARMING?

Container farming uses a hydroponic growing system to commercially grow a variety of fresh produce more sustainably and year-round. This type of growth is done in a controlled environment that is time, space, and resource-efficient. 

The real value is not only the produce grown, but the ability for a container farm to offer a community or business a local source of produce, a source of employment, and an additional stream of income. 

GROWING FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

Those who work closely with our food systems know that growing your own food is not going to solve food security immediately. However, we can’t dismiss the benefit of growing food closer to the people who consume it. 

If you’re a co-op store, the container farm is behind your store and ready to fill your shelves. If you’re a nonprofit that cooks meals, sourcing produce is one logistic you can cross off your list. If your community is remote, or further from city centers, the importance of having a local source of food is not lost on you. Access to local food becomes even more critical in light of current events that have shaken our supply chains. 

Abbey Gardens purchased a Growcer to ensure that they were able to generate revenue year-round instead of seasonally.

YEAR-ROUND RELIABILITY

Growcer systems are plug-and-play systems built to operate year-round among all conditions. The system allows you to consistently harvest produce and benefit from this stream of income year-round.

If you rely on a seasonal bump for a boost, this consistent source of income increases the foundation you have to work with. 

The hydroponic growing system also allows multiple types of crops can be grown at once from over 140 different varieties of produce and the ability to swap what you’re growing to meet demand.

PROOF OF CONCEPT 

Can a container farm really be an extra source of income? We know it can. We’ve collaborated with many diverse communities and organizations that have tailored a Growcer system to work for them.

For example, businesses like Abbey Gardens and The Yellowknife Co-op used the Growcer system to add extra revenue to their main line of business. For the Gitmaxmak’ay Nisga’a Society, they are adding the system to create an entirely new source of revenue for their non-profit.

While a container farm can be a source of extra income, it has to be feasible first. You must factor your situation, your market, and your financial options when investigating if this is a fit. 

Take the first step and plug in your specifics into our ROI calculator to evaluate the feasibility of a container farm for you.

StephanieMay 4, 2020