In recent years, microgreens cultivation has surged in Yekaterinburg, with several growers achieving efficient processes and production scalability. Entrepreneurs Alexey Kovnerchuk and Taisia Melekh successfully converted a balcony mini-garden into a 250-square-meter city farm, boosting product turnover by 1.5 times.
They grow microgreens, salads, various basil varieties, mint, and melissa, with a unique focus on edible flowers.
"Hydroponic cultivation suited these purposes. We now hold patents in plant cultivation automation and vertical farm lighting," Alexey revealed. They supply supermarkets, restaurants, food delivery services, hotels, spas, and rural complexes. The exit of foreign suppliers boosted turnover, enabling experimentation with cherry tomatoes.
Despite sanctions-related challenges, such as importing 80% of seeds from Europe, they adapted logistics through Kazakhstan and Belarus. Microgreens grow on a basalt-derived rock wool substrate, fired at 1000 degrees, eliminating the need for agrochemicals.
source: newdaynews.ru