Ingarden Makes Growing Your Own Greens Indoors Full-Proof

Ingarden enables consumers to grow their own microgreens easily, even in a small apartment.

Ingarden

The microgreens market is exploding, with a CAGR of 13.8 percent and a market size expected to reach $2.6 billion by 2026. For eco-sensitive and health-conscious people who increasingly want to grow their own food at home, microgreens are the perfect solution. They offer a terrific source of nutrition in a tiny package, require little light, and can flourish even in a small studio apartment. But many people are too intimidated to try to grow them.

Enter ingarden. Cofounded by Mariana Ferriera and Christian Saitner, ingarden makes growing microgreens indoors and at home easily accessible via a hydroponic system. You don’t even have to worry about watering. The seed packs allow you to grow arugula, radish, red cabbage, broccoli, mustard greens, kale, alfalfa and cress. The device fits onto a small counter, table, or window sill, making it possible for anyone to be a gardener year-round.

“Ever bought baby kale from Trader Joe’s? Seen micro-radishes on a fancy restaurant dinner menu? Or seen the guy in the farmer’s market selling what looks like tiny grass patches? Those are microgreens,” says Ferriera, who serves as co-CEO of ingarden. “We use them to increase the nutritional value of our food, to garnish elegant plates, and to add texture and color to food.”

Mariana Ferriera is the cofounder and co-CEO of ingarden.

Ingarden

“My life purpose is something I meditate on frequently, something that evolves constantly,” Ferriera said in an exclusive interview with Forbes. “I have always had the intention to help better the lives of people in my community.” Ingarden is the second startup she has cofounded in the food space. This is because she believes your health is a huge factor in your personal wellbeing and that of your community.

Being an entrepreneur, Ferriera warns, is often lonely and stressful. She feels it is necessary to be obsessive, but prefers calling this trait “having focus.” She takes her mental health very seriously so as not to become anxious. This means meditating four to five times a week, working out at least three times a week, and blocking time on her calendar to see friends.

Ferriera believes in helping people improve their own health and that of their community through … [+] food.

Ingarden

The rewards, however, are vast, Ferriera says. The greatest for her are joy and encouragement. “I can feel joy in every task, no matter how large, how daunting, how late at night it is because I know I am working to build a future I believe in. Secondly, when I hear of someone living a healthier, happier, more harmonious life because of better nutrition and being closer to their food source, that truly makes me feel more confident and encourages me to continue.”

The best way to center on your life purpose, Ferriera feels, is to talk about it. “Have conversations. Ask others about their decisions. Ask people you admire how they got where they are, what choices they made. When the time is right, ask for their opinion (not judgment) on your ideas. Focus on building good relationships and maintaining them.”