Jeff Xu
Jeff Xu, founder and CEO of Micropod, was inspired to create a microgreens growing solution after he started growing microgreens traditionally.
"I loved the taste and nutritional value of these tiny plants but grew tiresome of the tedious growing process (messy soil, covering with a paper towel and having to mist it every day)," said Xu.
XU took it upon himself to find a similar way to grow microgreens, with the clear objective of making growing microgreens accessible to everyone in any living situation.
With a background in structural engineering, Xu was set up well with a creative and technical mindset and approach to creating Micropod. He added that his ability to approach the growing solution with a willingness to overcome challenges with a certain degree of naivete allowed him to approach the problem with a fresh perspective.
Micropod is built on innovation, customer-centricity, and sustainability principles. While micropod is currently undergoing a growth phase, it invests significant time and resources into research and development. Xu said that the inception of the Micropod concept emerged from an eagerness to explore new ideas and to remain resilient in the face of failure.
"We apply the same mindset to create new products and improve existing ones."
Customer needs and feedback are central to this adaptive mindset that Micropod has established itself upon, Xu adding that Micropod consistently seeks to improve itself and its services.
All changes at Micropod are assessed through a sustainability lens to ensure they align with Micropod environmental considerations.
The Micropod growing system is unique, with nothing on the market offering anything quite like it, which Xu has deducted primarily from its proprietary seedmat, which has everything needed to grow microgreens loaded into the small 90x90mm square mat. Microgreen seeds and nutrients are all preloaded into Micropod's specially designed seedmat. The user only needs to activate growing by adding water.
After a few days of germination, users can remove the lid and place the pod in the sun for another seven (or more) days, and they will have lush, nutritious microgreens that they can enjoy atop any meal. Users can grow a range of produce, including Rocket, Mizuna, Red Mustard, Pak Choi, Broccoli and Mustard.
"We also have two blends, the Spicy Blend and the Wellness Blend. The key benefits of using our system are that it is simple and easy to set up. All that is required is adding water and sunlight."
Xu said that the Micropod growing methods exemplify that hydroponics can be easy and that customers needn't have a traditional garden to enjoy fresh home-grown vegetables.
"We hope Micropod could catalyse people to combine technology and gardening."
Xu said that he believed climate change and extreme weather events were some of the biggest threats facing the produce industry moving forward, emphasising the shifting temperature and unpredictable weather as key components that threaten growers' abilities to maintain consistent crop yields and quality.
Xu offered examples of farming solutions such as greenhouse automation, hydroponics, and vertical farming, which could be utilised to mitigate the consequential impacts of affected yield and quality of produce. Xu continued that these technologies are available year-round and are controlled growing environments, reducing reliance and susceptibility to unpredictable outdoor environments.
On a smaller scale, Xu said that growing produce at home, aided by smart gardening technology and hydroponic systems, can empower individuals to take control of their food production, reducing the industry's overall carbon footprint and enhancing food security on a case-by-case basis.
"We're very proud that micropod plays a small role in this transition. We've shown that anyone can become an 'urban farmer' in their own homes. We have ambitions to scale this into something much bigger, more impactful, and a staple in every home, such as your microwave or fridge."
During the pandemic, many people turned to gardening as a productive and therapeutic activity, which subsequently increased an interest in at-home growing, which has remained, creating growth opportunities for gardening technology solutions as customers' day-to-day lives have gotten busier despite their continued interest in growing produce at home. This, in turn, created a surge of interest in products and technologies such as Micropod.
The pandemic also highlighted vulnerabilities in the food supply chain, leading to greater emphasis on self-sufficiency. This has also dramatically changed the home-grown landscape.
For the future, Xu hopes that Micropod serves as an initial prototype for an industry that only grows more and more advanced and innovative. He aims for Micropod to show that at-home cultivation can be straightforward and that at-home growing is a viable market for technological growth.
"I believe the pivotal moment will come when home growing becomes as effortless as purchasing vegetables from a supermarket and considerably more cost-effective. That is ultimately what we want to head towards."
Xu's favourite variety of microgreens to grow is broccoli, which not only is one of the most nutritious microgreens, containing a high level of Sulforaphane, but it also has a delightful crunch and mild taste, which he enjoys.
