We haven’t gone after venture capital because we wanted to know what we had before we made promises.The Lake Farm is a working Farm with two lakes on the property and neighbors East Fork Lake State Park. “We kept small and kept capitalization small. “We’re running at a higher resource efficiency rate.” “All of my research started with energy efficiencies," he said. One of the keys, he said, was keeping energy costs low with LED growing lights. He said it’s self-sustaining and he hasn’t taken a bank loan. Indoor farming has been in the national news recently with the large-scale Plenty operation, a Jeff Bezos-backed indoor farm now expanding into the Seattle area.īut at the same time, some indoor farms have struggled.įarmedHere, for example, closed its indoor hydroponic growing operation near Chicago earlier this year, reportedly because of high labor and energy costs.Īt Fork Farms, Tyink keeps a watchful eye on costs and is in the gener8tor’s gBETA accelerator coaching program for startups. Feeding America provides education, training and a year’s worth of supplies for an additional $1,500.Įach vertical module can grow 288 plants in a four-by-four-foot space, Shaw said. Each machine can grow 15 to 20 pounds of lettuce in three to four weeks. While Fork Farms is a for-profit business, he said it’s “mission-driven” to educate and feed people. He previously field tested his growing machines while working at Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin.įeeding America now provides ancillary support to Fork Farms in what Tyink calls a “for-profit/nonprofit partnership.” Tyink’s day job is director of programming at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. She said 'I never thought people would remember the salad,'" Batley said. "One bride called us back and said her guests were still commenting on it weeks later. The cost is a little higher, but we think it's money well-spent."īatley said they use whole butterhead lettuce heads on each plate for weddings. It stays fresher than anything else we're getting. "What's so great about it is that it's local. "We use their Fox Valley blend of lettuces for lunch buffets and catering, and their buttterhead lettuce for weddings and corporate events," said Ryan Batley, food and beverage director. Its first and largest buyer has been the Best Western Premier Bridgewood Resort Hotel in Neenah. We’re improving the quality of lunch lines.”īesides making and selling the growing modules, Fork Farms grows lettuce in its Menasha headquarters and sells it to several hotels and a caterer. “It’s highly productive in growing food and makes a nutritional difference in schools. “It’s an improvement on the traditional school garden model,” Tyink said. Students and staff have taken lettuce home.
Students have eaten salads in the classroom from their harvest. "It would be cool if every classroom was able to do this." Zubich, one of the students in charge of the module. "I like learning about the hydroponic system and am really surprised how easy it is to grow our produce right in our classroom," said J.T. "We have a few students who have taken charge of being our main gardeners." "We love having our machine in the classroom," said Matt Hechel, North's alternative education coordinator. Local schools include Mount Olive Lutheran School, Fox Valley Lutheran High School, Appleton North High School and New Directions Learning Community in Kaukauna.Īt North, the machine was purchased with a grant from the Appleton Education Foundation. The company's first 20 growing modules have been sold to schools, food pantries and individuals. It can revolutionize arid land growing.”įork Farms' growing system already has one patent and two more pending.
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“This is a real game changer because of its water use, efficiency and space.
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“It’s one of the most innovative systems out there. Shaw said the opportunity to join Fork Farms was too good to pass up. McLain, formerly a music teacher in Seattle, is operations manager. Shaw was formerly hydroponics manager at Riverview Gardens and is now farm manager here. Commercial Horizons gave him a sweet lease on the building.įork Farms is a limited liability company owned by a group of 14 people, including employees Gil Shaw and Stewart McLain. His two employees have taken equity before paychecks. Tyink co-founded the company with his father, Steve Tyink, who is vice president of business innovation at Miron Construction, and John Brogan, CEO of Bank of Kaukauna. “The social service side is very important to me. “Our mission is to put these in food deserts and low-income schools,” he said. Growing fresh produce this way can make healthy food more accessible and create a connection between kids and food. Working on the growing machines satisfied his desire to create something that mattered, he said. Since 2009, he has made 28 different prototypes and invested thousands of hours into the venture.