Banker Quits Job To Grow Microgreens & Now Earns 5 Lakhs Every Month
Ajay Gopinath, a Citigroup banker, was attracted by the salad tray adorned with a few microgreens over lunch with friends in a Bengaluru eatery in 2017. He started studying microgreens because he was intrigued by them. Microgreens are vegetables, cereals, and herbs that are harvested when they are still seedlings, meaning that only their seed leaves have formed.
Ajay, 48, quit three years later in december 2020 and went back to his hometown of kochi to cultivate microgreens. With an office in Ernakulam, he filed "Grow Greens" as a proprietorship.
Ajay, 48, quit three years later in december 2020 and went back to his hometown of kochi to cultivate microgreens. With an office in Ernakulam, he filed "Grow Greens" as a proprietorship.
Learning through trial and error
“I extensively searched for YouTube videos to learn about microgreen cultivation. I found some growing methods that used tissue paper and newspapers to make microgreens of mustard, fenugreek, green gram, etc. However, I was not satisfied with these basic techniques and decided to delve deeper, including the sourcing of seed, food grade trays, and cocopeat for sowing the seeds,” says Ajay.
Ajay Gopinath grows microgreens using exclusively organic seeds. Eventually, a friend in the UK gave him the fundamentals of microgreens, and he used trial and error to do his own study.
Harvested seven to ten days after sprouting, microgreens offer several health advantages. Though some elites have been eating them and five-star hotels frequently include them in salads, there is a lack of knowledge and they have not been sufficiently adopted into our diet, laments Ajay.
Harvested seven to ten days after sprouting, microgreens offer several health advantages. Though some elites have been eating them and five-star hotels frequently include them in salads, there is a lack of knowledge and they have not been sufficiently adopted into our diet, laments Ajay.
Herb seeds, cereals, and vegetables are used to create microgreens. In addition to having a greater variety of leaf forms, textures, and colors than sprouts, they also have a stronger flavor. They are a great source of polyphenols, a class of antioxidants associated with a decreased risk of heart disease, and they provide a concentrated dosage of minerals.
Investment and Returns
I questioned whether the price was the primary deterrent to using this superfood. To make microgreens accessible to the typical middle class, I decided to start growing them commercially at that point," he says. From his funds, ajay spent about Rs5 lakh on R&D, buying organic microgreen seeds and manufacturing supplies. At the moment, he purchases organic seeds from srinagar and uttarakhand farmers.
"I started growing microgreens in my 64-square-foot (8-by-8-foot) bedroom. I grew them in four racks now, compared to just one rack at first, and they produce seven to eight kilogram per day. After each harvest, the cocopeat medium is replaced. Every day, the greens are picked and sent to clients, according to Ajay.
Microgreens start at Rs 150 and come in boxes weighing 80–100g. "To maximize nutrition, we do mix different varieties in one box," he explains. According to Ajay, the most expensive types are amaranths, corn, broccoli, red cabbage, and beets, which cost Rs250 per box, while the cheapest ones are sunflower, radish white, and mustard green, which cost Rs150.
Microgreens start at Rs 150 and come in boxes weighing 80–100g. "To maximize nutrition, we do mix different varieties in one box," he explains. According to Ajay, the most expensive types are amaranths, corn, broccoli, red cabbage, and beets, which cost Rs250 per box, while the cheapest ones are sunflower, radish white, and mustard green, which cost Rs150.