Episode 3: Bringing Fresh Greens into Detroit with Vertical Farming

Summary:

Meg Burritt is the Leader of Business Development and Kai Misner is the Leader of Hydroponic Technology at Planted Detroit, a beyond-organic farm that grows nutrient-packed greens and micros in a sustainable & controlled environment. Today, Meg and Kai join the show to discuss the vertical farming industry, food supply chain, and Planted Detroit’s mission to make farming more efficient so communities can source fresh produce locally, on a year-round basis. They detail the journey from seed to sale, share how they are fostering a compelling culture, and elaborate on the importance of biosecurity.

Key Takeaways

00:33 – Michael introduces today’s guests, Meg Burritt and Kai Misner who join the show to share the vision of Planted Detroit and the opportunities they see in the vertical farming industry

08:17 – Meg and Kai speculate on the future of Planted Detroit

12:54 – The journey from seed to sale

19:07 – Building and fostering a great team and a compelling culture

25:33 – Kaizen & Toyota

29:56 – The typical food supply chain system, explained

34:28 – Working with white tablecloth restaurants and ‘community fridges’

37:48 – Meg and Kai elaborate on their biosecurity infrastructure and practices and how they sourcing and validate their seeds

49:40 – Meg and Kai break down what goes into their salads

53:17 – Michael thanks Meg and Kai for joining the show and lets listeners know where can learn more about Planted Detroit

Shareable Quotes

“We love this city and we want to be able to continue to contribute this sort of new technology as well as great jobs and good food for local markets. And then the goal is just to grow beyond that. Our founder Tom’s vision is to feed the world and absolutely views what we’re doing as
additive to the food system.” (08:55) (Meg)

“I think there was a lot to learn there as far as what are the requirements in the controlled
environment. So, I think there were some benefits that we got as far as economy and capital
investing initially, but also have some challenges around controlling the climate in the hottest parts
of the year.” (15:33) (Kai)

“It’s really fascinating to see the quality and the flavor of food in California. And then, as you progressively go East, the decline is significant, especially with leafy greens.”
(32:05) (Kai)

“We just are forever that Kaizen approach of how can we be more and more safe, both for our
employees and our customers, but also for our company.”
(40:21) (Meg)

“Like most growers, we have had to source seeds from a lot of different people and kind of suss
out which seed providers are really giving us the best quality seed, the cleanest seed. So, to
kind of bridge the gap between seed and security, we do require good manufacturing and good agricultural practices from our seed providers.”
(41:44) (Kai)

“And from a sustainability perspective, it’s not just about that head of lettuce and how much
pesticide it has on it, but how much is being absorbed into the soil and integrated into the
ecosystem. And that impact may be a net negative.”
(48:28) (Meg)

Resources

Planted Detroit – https://planteddetroit.com/

Planted Detroit Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/planted.detroit

Planted Detroit Twitter – https://twitter.com/planteddetroit

Planted Detroit Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/planted.detroit/

Planted Detroit LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/planted-detroit/

Video

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