Tackling food insecurity: Indiana-based start-up launches innovative food growing systems

05 Jul 2018 --- Indiana-based start-up, Aggressively Organic Inc., has launched Beta 2, a food production tool which allows the successful growth of food at home. Through the introduction of a system that is aimed at helping to end food insecurity in our lifetime, Aggressively Organic has designed, developed and are delivering “weapons of mass creation.” This comes in the form of sustainable, accessible, and easy to use agricultural systems that can be used by anyone, anytime regardless of space or agricultural experience.

42 million Americans lack consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life, according to Aggressively Organic. Startling statistics such as these led Founder and CEO, Jonathan Partlow to create the company and ultimately end food insecurity in our lifetime.

Using agricultural bioscience technology, Partlow created the company's patent-pending Micro Growth Chamber Systems, which provide fresh, nutrient-rich food right from plant to the table. These grow-at-home systems also support sustainable agricultural food production by using less water, energy, and waste. 

In fact, consumers can grow more plants in a 10x10 room than a one-acre plot of farmland, according to Partlow. The company’s Micro Dendritic Pod is designed for minimal intervention; with no pumps or filters, the system is created without the complexity or expense of a hydroponic system, bugs, or risk that comes with dirt.

“Just 24 hours after fruit or vegetables are taken from the plant, up to 25 percent of the original nutrients are lost,” he tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

Following the success of its Beta 1 round, Aggressively Organic’s Victory Garden Launch is furthering its commitment to end food insecurity in our lifetime. This new phase of orders and product testing features the start-up’ award-winning, patent-pending AO Micro Pods. The company’s Micro Pods are affordable grow-at-home systems that support sustainable agricultural food production by using less water, energy, and waste.

From August 2018, consumers can start working toward declaring their food independence when Beta 2 will officially launch. For US$139, Beta 2 customers can receive nine growth systems, 27 refills with seeds, nutrient solution, coconut coir pods for soil, and an appropriate light that covers all nine pods that fit in one square foot. 

“Our Beta 2 phase is an opportunity to create more ‘Victory Gardens’ throughout the entire country, and even the world,” Partlow explains. “A real solution exists right now to end food insecurity and even create an abundance. We have historical precedence to show that it’s possible. During World War II, we joined together as a nation and communities were able to produce more than 41 percent of the nation’s produce in Victory Gardens planted in yards, on patios and on porches. They did this all in a normal growing season. With Aggressively Organic’s Micro Pods, we can all do this on our countertops 365 days a year.”

“Our growth systems are for anyone, with or without a ‘green thumb’,” says Partlow. “We’re excited about this next phase and to help consumers declare their food independence.”  

According to Partlow, these food systems give the consumer power and control of the food supply. “If you are human and you eat, wherever you live, big city or small town, small apartment, dorm room or large estate you can grow your own organic food.”

Aggressively Organic food systems are designed for all experience levels from master gardener to absolutely no experience at all. “Many people don’t know they can grow their own food, and they certainly haven’t been given a way to do so, until now,” he notes.

For Partlow, the Beta 2 launch means that food growth system could work to the benefit of many consumers and customers all over the world. After six years of research, Aggressively Organic struck lucky and quickly realized that as long as there is food insecurity anywhere, they would be able to offer a sustainable solution. 

According to Partlow, the end goal “would be that we are no longer needed and that our customers have succeeded in reducing their carbon footprint.”

“The main challenge for us is trying to launch our systems globally,” he claims. “We have a US target market, but we have people ordering from all over the world. It can be stimulating – being a start-up company we don’t have that global presence yet – but we are already working towards that.”

“Our goal is to find distributors and partners in every country so that we can manufacture as close to the end user as we can. If we are sold in the UK, then we want manufacturers there, or at least in Europe.”

“August 3, 2017 was our official ‘birth’ date for Beta 1 systems and back then, it was very unique. Since then, we spent the last six months working with our growers and learning as much as we could about agricultural food systems from them. As a result, for our Beta 2 launch, the systems are much more efficient – but it has taken a lot of work to get here. The whole system works together and if you use a different nutrient, for example, the results can be different,” notes Partlow. 

The impact on nutritional value is huge, and it’s not something that Aggressively Organic can control entirely. “We do intervene one way because we do choose seeds that have a higher nutritional value than what we can typically buy in the store.”

“When you cut directly from the plant in a food system, the benefits can be very valuable. Not only are there higher levels of nutrition, but there is also no waste,” says Partlow.   

“We really try to base the whole systems on these values. Obviously, there is always going to be room for improvement and we are already working on bettering them even more so. We want to make food more nutritious and to do so, we are continually improving our growth systems,” he concludes.

By Elizabeth Green