When it comes to cooking, sometimes it’s the small things that make the difference. The people behind The Micro Empire - husband and wife team, David and Rachael Larson, both originally from New Zealand - know all about that.
Their Midlothian-based “premium microgreens” business, which was set up during lockdown, involves growing millions of plants. The crop may be huge, but the produce is dinky. They don’t need acres of land, just some green energy.
“Our indoor vertical farm is based out of an annex on our property in rural Midlothian that is climate controlled and solar-powered”, explains Rachael, 32. They recently joined Edinburgh’s Farmers Market, where they have a Saturday stall from 9 am-2 pm, selling their Lilliputian micro salad leaves. This runs alongside the online and wholesale delivery side of their business. It’s a long way from their backgrounds in IT.
“We have both always loved fine dining and gourmet cooking. We had been looking to go into business together and were keen to grow something from scratch and create something that was local”, says Rachael. “ We did a lot of research into growing techniques and equipment requirements before slowly starting out. We both had small business experience from previous roles so that made the set up a little easier”.
For the biggest flavor punch, Rachael recommends that amateurs start with micro coriander, as it works with curries, Mexican dishes or soups. To meet the demand for these tiny sprigs, they’re hoping to expand their empire.
“The lockdown has meant that we’ve had a little more time on our hands to streamline our processes. That means that as restaurants do re-open this month, we can meet the increased demand”, says Rachael. “Expansion is the number one thing for us currently. We would like to grow our space soon and also our team”.
Read the complete article at www.scotsman.com.