Founder of SuperNatural Sprouts Melissa is Sharing The Inspiring Story of Her New Farm Based in Prescott, AZ
Posted in Success Stories on July 2, 2020
Tags: Arizona, Prescott
This time Microgreenology presents Melissa's SuperNatural Sprouts farm based in Arizona. It's the first Arizona based farm featured on the blog and it was a huge pleasure learning about the authentic story while preparing it for publishing. Enjoy reading! As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
What's your name? What’s the name of your farm and where are you based?
My name is Melissa and I’m the founder and owner/operator of SuperNatural Sprouts based in Prescott, AZ.
What's the story behind your farm?
After a very long stint of being a single mother, my youngest of 4 was married in November of 2019. With my nest empty and my responsibilities drastically lessened, I proceeded to spend the following 6 months re-assessing my life and crafting a vision for who I wanted to be moving forward.
SuperNatural Sprouts was thus born from a need to redefine my purpose, a passion for organic nutrition, and a desire to know how to grow my own food (given this volatile climate we’re in). Finding this more important than ever, I wanted to be able to supply myself, my friends and family, and my greater community with the most nutrient dense, fresh microgreens available.
When I finally decided growing microgreens would be a perfect fit, I cleared out my youngest daughter’s bedroom and began to purchase the basics of what I would need to get started; shelving units, trays, lights, soil and of course, seeds! As a web and graphic designer, I was fortunate to be able to create my brand, build my own website and design my cards and labels right away. This definitely helped me put my vision into action!
What's the funniest/most exciting story you've experienced while running the farm?
So far, the most exciting has been the success I’ve had with growing and connecting here with you! 😉
What types of microgreens and other produce are you currently growing?
While I know there are so many incredible, wonderful varieties to grow, I’ve decided to stick with the 4 most popular until I can perfect my craft and processes.
I’m currently growing:
- sunflower
- radish
- pea
- wheat grass
I’m looking forward to growing more varieties as interest from my customer’s grows.
What makes your produce different?
I’m kind of an organic junkie and have been for many years. There is no substitute for knowing your food is free from chemicals, is GMO free and is grown in the most pristine conditions possible. I grow using only certified organic seeds and use OMRI listed growing medium and nutrients (bloom city CleanKelp) along with using triple-filtered water.
What do you grow your microgreens on?
I use OMRI Listed Coco Coir by Plantonix.
What type of lighting are you using?
I started out with Barrina LED Grow Light (252W, T8, Full-Spectrum) and then also bought the Barrina LED T5-6500K’s. I haven’t decided which performs better yet though.
What type of temperature do you choose and what's your normal humidity level?
Thank God I don’t have to worry about humidity… North-Central AZ is a perfect climate for growing microgreens. Keeping the temperature between 70 and 80 degrees is fairly simple too.
What kind of water are you using for watering and do you use any add ons for the water?
Like my food, I prefer my water to be as pure as possible. I’m actually a bit of a water snob. Lol. I use a triple filter for all my watering needs, and for my own consumption, I then put this water through a Berkey water filtration system. I also use nutrients: BloomCityOrganics makes what they call CleanKelp and so far, I’m finding it to be very nice to work with. Of course, the fact that it’s 100% organic and sustainably harvested sealed the deal for being my first choice as I’m getting started!
What type of clients do you currently serve and what locations do you cover?
I’m just starting to sell! I’ve had a number of friends, family and web clients purchase from me and inquiries from an ad on Facebook Marketplace! I’m very optimistic that as I continue to get the word out, people will see and taste the difference!
My goal is to serve my community locally via word of mouth, our local Farmer’s Market, and also, local delivery via subscription. I’ve seen that this has been a profitable way to create a sustainable income and I’m excited to provide such a service!
What's Your Mission?
To supply friends, family and our community with the most delicious and healthy microgreens available today.
Based on your experience, what would you suggest farms in a similar position think about?
As a web and graphic designer/marketer, I believe having a consistent and professional brand is so important and will help immensely with how people perceive you. My goal, in addition to growing, is to offer my services to this niche community. I will offer a full package deal, including website, business cards, labels, banner and sign-up and sell-sheets at an affordable price.
Also, having a vision for where you want to be with this in the future. When discouragement comes, your vision will pull you through.
The Final Rapid 3:
What’s your favorite course and/book that helped you learn the in depth knowledge on growing microgreens and starting a business:
YouTube has been the most helpful resource I used so far. On The Grow with CJ and Mandy, Corey’s Cave, Donny Greens, Curtis Stone, Nate Dodson and so many more. It’s fantastic how generous they all are in sharing their tips, tricks and processes and by compiling their knowledge, I’ve been able to discern pretty quickly what I needed to get started. I wouldn’t be doing this without their (virtual) guidance!
What are your 3 most favorite farm tools you can’t really run the farm with?
Because I'm growing in a spare-bedroom now, I couldn’t do without my 2 gallon sprayers. I have one with the nutrient solution and one with just filtered water. Also, my 5 gallon buckets for holding my nutrient water when I do bottom watering and my ½ gallon sprayer for my food-grade H2O2 solution in case of mold.
What are your favorite microgreens communities? (on Facebook, Reddit, etc.)
I’ve joined a number of them and I can’t say if I have a favorite. Everyone is so nice and helpful and encouraging!
What to do next?
If you enjoyed SuperNatural Sprouts’ story please do share it on your social media profiles. You can also PM the founder(s) and ask them anything you want using any of the social media profiles described below:
- Farm's website - www.supernaturalsprouts.com
- A link to farm’s Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/supernaturalsprouts
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