Invest in the team building the most exciting farms in the world.
At a farmer's market two years ago, I came across a herb called papalo. I had never tasted anything like it before. Its citrus peel aroma and cilantro-like freshness blew me away. Wow.
But a week later, the weather had changed, and papalo wasn't on sale.
I asked myself - why is the best produce hidden from foodies and chefs? Why are we all stuck with the same boring herbs?
Why do chefs have to use produce grown thousands of miles away?
I decided to start Farm.One, using innovative vertical farming technology to grow rare produce in the heart of New York, year-round. I hustled to build software, hardware, gather a great team, make sales, find space.
Just over a year later, we are now the tastemakers. We have two farms in downtown Manhattan. We sell an enormous range of rare herbs, edible flowers and microgreens to NYC's best chefs. All grown locally, without pesticides, just minutes away. They love us for it.
I'm now opening Farm.One to investment, to build new farms beyond New York and continue to improve our farm technology.
We plan to add 10+ new farms in US and global cities over the next 4 years. Farms with a diverse range of truly exciting, life-changing produce.
We don't care who has the "largest" farm. We're building the best farms.
Join us and be part of an exciting food future.
With funds raised, Farm.One will continue to build our own technology, and build future farms in additional US and global cities.
Convertible Note | Minimum $500 Investment. Note converts to equity when the company raises $5M.
Maturity Date: November 30, 2019
$7M valuation cap, 20% Discount
2% yearly interest rate
All investors of $5,000+ get a free guided farm tour for up to 4 guests. Higher-level investors get these additional perks:
A generous Farm.One fresh
herb and flower gift box
A signed print of a custom Farm.One Instagram "Plate"
Special dinner at Double Zero
in NYC for 4 guests
Private dinner at Atera
in NYC for 4 guests
Note: See Terms section below for additional details. All perks occur after the offering is completed.
Just as Tesla started with a sports car, I decided to focus first on the high end chef market in New York City. I decided to start small, to rapidly react to customers' needs before making big bets, to build a prototype farm to test the market.
I was determined to find a great central location in NYC to test our theories out. With hard work, I managed to secure a space in downtown Manhattan at ICE, one of the world's best culinary schools.
Within just three months, we had sold out all available product to some of the best restaurants in the city - who are now our recurring customers.
No off-the-shelf solution was capable of managing 100s of products grown at one time within a small farm - so we built our own software and hardware. We have developed unique processes for agile farming in small spaces.
We've just completed our second farm, in the exclusive Manhattan neighborhood Tribeca, underneath Michelin ✩✩ restaurant Atera.
The new farm is the latest iteration of our hardware with over 1,200 square feet of vertical racks. At full capacity, this farm will allow us to serve around 4x as many customers, with increased revenue to match.
Our Tribeca farm is the model for future farms to be built in locations around the US and the world.
We grow and sell rare herbs, edible flowers and microgreens (very young crops). Our products are all rare, high-quality, 100% pesticide-free and delivered same day, so we command a price premium. For example, regular Genovese basil on the wholesale market is around $12/lb, whereas our Blue Spice Basil goes for $40/lb.
Our products are sold by weight or by "count", for specific leaf sizes or edible flowers.
A tiny selection from our product range...
PURPLE OXALIS
With a sour, green-apple tang
MICRO MAGENTA SPREEN
For a bright dash of color
NEPITELLA FLOWERS
A fragrant, forgotten Tuscan herb
BORAGE FLOWERS
Bright, cucumber-flavored petals
We deliver to most of our customers 2x per week, via subway or bike, in Manhattan and Brooklyn only. Tuesdays and Fridays are busiest.
An example delivery might include several pounds of our Pluto Basil, 50-count of Thai Basil Flower Stems, and several trays of spicy microgreens. We do not charge for any delivery over $50.
Consistency is key for restaurants. A typical customer will spend hundreds of dollars per week: $10,000 to $40,000 per year.
We sell primarily to restaurant chefs and bars, but in the future we may sell to other large-scale produce buyers, and home cooks, either direct or through premium grocery-store partners.
Stay tuned to our updates for more films about our work with chefs.
In November 2016, Chef Ronny Emborg invited us to build our second farm in the basement underneath 2-Michelin Star restaurant Atera.
Working with Ronny and the team at Atera is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to have a unique chef's farm growing indoors just steps away from such a respected restaurant kitchen. As a chef in the Danish tradition of foraging for prize ingredients in woodland near the restaurant, Ronny said "I was excited at the opportunity to have a farm just like this, in the middle of New York."
Ronny says "When you walk inside Farm.One, it's like happiness. You have these colors, the flowers, you can't help but be happy". We are proud to provide ingredients for a number of Ronny's award-winning dishes.
Watch the short film below for more on how Atera works with Farm.One:
Our "Edible Bar" is a huge hit, bringing the flavors of dozens of live rare herbs and flowers to corporate events, parties and product launches.
Tasting tour visitors become instant fans: "truly blown away by the entire experience", "an absolute blast", "the worlds flavors within arms reach".
ALWAYS PEAK SEASON
Growing indoors means it's a summer's day, year-round.
ZERO FOOD MILES
Our city-center locations mean we can deliver by bike and subway.
TRACED & TRACKED
All crops tracked seed to harvest via our proprietary software.
EFFICIENT GROWTH UNDER LED
We use the latest LED technology for efficiency and perfect flavor.
100% NASTY-FREE
No pesticides, pollution, soil contamination or manure.
RECYCLED WATER
We use ~95% less water than an equivalent conventional farm.
FAR, FAR FRESHER
All our produce is delivered within a few hours of harvest.
COMPOSTED WASTE
Our farm produces minimal waste, most of which goes to compost.
We combine off-the-shelf components with custom-built plumbing and racking solutions, with the latest LED lights. We are now on version 4.0 of our hydroponic system design, which incorporates multiple improvements for plant health and operational efficiency.
Our newest farm is in a basement of a landmark building in Manhattan. Construction involved renovation of the space, custom design of two rooms, and design of packing and storage areas. We are now ready to roll out multiple farms across US cities, no matter the location.
Each batch is grown to order for a customer, giving us predictable revenue, enabling us to grow to exacting specifications, and minimizing waste on the farm. Our farm team tracks the growth of each batch, giving data to our software, and notifying Sales when necessary.
In our systems we can pinpoint different nutrient mixes for different groups of crops.
Our database stores growing recipes for each crop type, ensuring each farm uses the same recipe, no matter the location or staff. Over time we improve on the recipes and store the data, creating continuous improvement.
LEDs allow us to use different light spectra for our 500+ crops, giving them the exact light intensity and quality they need to thrive. We can even adjust the spectrum throughout the growing cycle, for example, to promote flowering at the correct time. Even in the summertime, our LED lighting can ensure better performance than outdoor growers.
We built our own database and software to manage our farm and the thousands of batches planted each month.
The software connects to our accounting systems, Ecommerce website, barcode scanners and printers, for a powerful suite of tools allowing each farm to be run efficiently and in a uniform way.
Our nutrients are an environmentally friendly alternative to normal chemical fertilizers, not derived from harmful chemicals such as urea and ammonia nitrate. We add beneficial bacteria and fungi to our nutrients and root zones to create healthy, safe growth with minimal negative waste going into the sewer system.
The market for specialty produce is traditionally controlled by distributors who try to source product from all over the world. Specialty chefs' farms tend to grow in soil and ship product overnight, often with significant packaging. So restaurants are pushing back:
The American organic sector stayed on its upward trajectory in 2016, gaining new market share and shattering records, as consumers across the United States ate more organic products than ever before, according to the Organic Trade Association’s 2017 Survey*
This trend is expected to continue, as natural and organic food sales are projected to grow by 70% between 2016-2021*
Consumers tend to choose organic because of the lower pesticides * - although the "Organic" label allows for some pesticide usage. Farm.One's farms use beneficial insects instead of pesticides, easily exceeding this standard.
Over $220M in 2017 alone has been invested in vertical farming companies, showing considerable interest among investors including Jeff Bezos, Eric Schmidt and Tom Colicchio.
As Henry Gordon-Smith says, "Investors are really seeing that there is a case for growing indoors and growing near cities".
But all investments to date have been "Big Ag", mass-market leafy greens farms.
Farm.One is the only vertical farm building a premium brand based on quality, by growing a wide range of specialty produce.
As a chef with an eight-year tenure as Executive Pastry Chef at Le Bernardin, recipient of three coveted Michelin stars, and now as Creative Director of the Institute of Culinary Education, Chef Michael Laiskonis knows the power of sourcing the right ingredients.
Laiskonis says "A lot of cooking is simply finding the best ingredients you can, and not screwing them up. Having access here in the city to Farm.One can make a chef's life incredibly easy. Farm.One provides a really interesting blueprint for where agriculture, and especially urban agriculture will be going in the future, by using small urban spaces to provide high-quality ingredients."
Henry Gordon-Smith is the founder of industry consultants and commentators Agritecture, and a founding member of the Association for Vertical Farming. As such, he is exposed to a large number of vertical and indoor farming projects around the world.
"One of the concerns about vertical farming is the lack of diversity of crops. Farm.One is the exact opposite of that, it's creating diversity, creating new flavors, and bringing the joy of a unique, locally-grown product to the customer"
"This idea that you could take unused properties in New York, Chicago and LA and convert them into Farm.One locations to produce on-demand products for chefs really helps Farm.One stand out from rest of the world of vertical farming"
As CEO of one of the world's leading horticultural LED manufacturers, Nick Klase has broad oversight over the vertical farming industry. He mentions that "Vertical farms can be up to 10x more productive from the same land, and use around 95% less water compared to traditional field farming, with less pesticides or no pesticides at all".
Among the hundreds of companies on Nick's radar, Farm.One stands out. "What we love about Farm.One is they are not trying to be the biggest vertical farm, they are trying to be the best. It's a very exciting time to be in the commercial agriculture space, and Farm.One is well equipped with a diverse team to take it to the next level."
Hear the full interviews with industry experts Michael Laiskonis, Henry
Gordon-Smith and Nick Klase:
CEO Rob Laing was founder and CEO of innovative translation technology startup Gengo.com, accelerating the company to $10M in annual sales, and managing a team of over 50 staff and over 15,000 remote workers.
Previous direct reports and coworkers have the following praise:
Just as fast food restaurants revolutionized how food is produced, the Farm.One team combines a technological approach with best practice from other industries, to quickly build processes in the brand new world of vertical farming.
Operations at Farm.One are aided by the following
Beneath one of NYC's best restaurants, down a hallway you could find only if you knew where to go, rows of heady, hydroponic herbs, sticky with residue, grow under LED lights.
Rob is pioneering the world of hydroponics, a system of growing plants without many of the traditional inputs. Basically, using just a finely tuned solution of water, Farm.One can grow crops without soil or even sunlight. In fact, Farm.One is a unique indoor farm in downtown Manhattan, which uses hy
Edible takes a tasting tour of our farm at ICE
After seven years spent as CEO of a language startup, Rob Laing decided to take time off to travel and study the culinary arts. “These courses and locations really opened my eyes to new ingredients, especially local, unusual plants from different farmers’ markets,” he says.
Farm One is growing specialty herbs, ones that are native to all different parts of the world. The number of plants they grow now numbers somewhere around 300. These include workhorse herbs like basil (Farm One lists 16 unique basils on their website), to more obscure herbs like garlic mustard.
Describing our Intro to Indoor Farming Class
"Did you ever taste wasabi arugula?" Rob asked me. "Taste?" I thought to myself. "I've never even heard of the plant. That was, until I met Rob Laing, who is the founder of Farm One, a relatively new hydroponic farm in NYC specializing in fresh, local, and unique herbs, like Diplotaxis erucoides.
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY
Convertible Promissory Notes
Note converts to equity when the company raises $5,000,000 in a qualified equity financing
Maturity Date: November 30, 2019
$7,000,000 Valuation Cap
20% Discount Rate
2% Annual Interest Rate
Maximum ($1,070,000) of Convertible Promissory Notes
Minimum ($10,000) of Convertible Promissory Notes
| Company | Farm.One, Inc. |
| | |
| Corporate Address | 15 William Street Apt 14B, New York, NY 10005 |
| | |
| Description of Business | Farm.One builds and operates indoor farms, growing specialty produce for chefs. |
| | |
| Type of Security Offered | Convertible Notes |
| | |
| Minimum Investment Amount (per investor) | $500 |
What is a Convertible Note?
A convertible note offers you the right to receive shares in Farm.One, Inc. The number of shares you will receive in the future will be determined at the next equity round in which the Company raises at least $5,000,000 in qualified equity financing. The highest conversion price per share is set based on a $7,000,000 Valuation Cap or if less, then you will receive a 20% discount on the price the new investors are purchasing. You also receive 2% interest per year added to your investment. When the maturity date is reached, if the note has not converted then you are entitled to either receive your investment and interest back from the company or convert into equity.
Perks*
$5,000+ A guided tour of the Farm.One farm in Tribeca for up to 4 people. Date and time of tour to fall on a Monday-Thursday between 4pm-8pm. Investor is responsible for booking the tour, through a web link provided by Farm.One at a time after investment has been received. Tours must be booked before May 31, 2018, and the last eligible tour date is June 28, 2018. Investor may invite additional guests, at a standard price of $50 per guest, by giving Farm.One at least 24h notice upon booking, via email or phone call. Duration of tour is 60 minutes. Farm.One reserves the right to combine tour groups together, and there is no guarantee that the tour will be private.
Investors unable to visit New York before June 28, 2018 may opt to substitute this Perk for a Farm.One T-shirt.
$10,000+ A gift box of fresh herbs and flowers, delivered to any US address. The gift box features a generous selection of Farm.One produce, giving the Investor a taste of the variety and visual appeal of the company's product. Product selection within the box to be determined by Farm.One staff.
Investors unable to receive fresh product due to a non-US location may opt to substitute this Perk for a Farm.One T-shirt.
Investor must indicate their mailing address using forms provided by Farm.One, before May 31, 2018 to receive this Perk.
$20,000+ A custom framed and signed print measuring 24x24", consisting of a Farm.One plate, example here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BaHG4hHnONH/?taken-by=farm.one. The print is guaranteed to be in an edition of 1. Cost of shipping print to any reasonable worldwide address is included. While the Investor may indicate a preference, final choice of print is at the discretion of Farm.One staff. For a sample of additional Farm.One "Plates" view the company's Instagram account at http://instagram.com/farm.one.
Investor must indicate their mailing address using forms provided by Farm.One, before May 31, 2018 to receive this Perk.
$50,000+ A special dinner for up to 4 persons at Double Zero, 65 2nd Avenue, New York. Menu items to feature a special selection of Farm.One ingredients. The investor can order any dish as they please, up to $500 in total costs for the entire party dining ("Purchase Limit"). Any and all additional food or beverage orders during the meal beyond the Purchase Limit are at the expense of the Investor. All reasonable dietary restrictions can be accommodated. Date and time of the dinner to fall Monday through Saturday, on an available evening as mutually agreed with Double Zero. At the Investor's request, Farm.One staff may join the meal. Any Farm.One staff dining are not included in the maximum 4 persons and do not impact the $500 limit.
The Special Dinner Perk must be booked before May 31, 2018, and the last eligible dining date is June 30, 2018. Investors unable to visit New York in time to take advantage of this Perk may receive a Perk of equivalent value, as agreed with Farm.One.
$100,000+ A private dinner for up to 4 persons in the Private Dining Room at Atera, 77 Worth Street, New York. The dinner features a set menu featuring Farm.One ingredients by chef Ronny Emborg, and beverage pairings. Any and all beverage orders during the meal beyond standard pairings is at the expense of the Investor. All reasonable dietary restrictions can be accommodated. Date and time of the dinner to fall Monday through Saturday, on an available evening as mutually agreed with Atera staff. At the Investor's request, Farm.One staff may join the meal. Any Farm.One staff dining are not included in the maximum 4 persons.
The Private Dinner Perk must be booked before May 31, 2018, and the last eligible dining date is June 30, 2018. Investors unable to visit New York in time to take advantage of this Perk may receive a Perk of equivalent value, as agreed with Farm.One.
*All perks occur after the offering is completed.
A crowdfunding investment involves risk. You should not invest any funds in this offering unless you can afford to lose your entire investment. In making an investment decision, investors must rely on their own examination of the issuer and the terms of the offering, including the merits and risks involved. These securities have not been recommended or approved by any federal or state securities commission or regulatory authority. Furthermore, these authorities have not passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this document. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission does not pass upon the merits of any securities offered or the terms of the offering, nor does it pass upon the accuracy or completeness of any offering document or literature. These securities are offered under an exemption from registration; however, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not made an independent determination that these securities are exempt from registration.
Hi Followers!
Hope you are having a great summer. Farm.One has gone from strength to strength since we finished our campaign.
We've produced an investor report for you, looking back on our progress over the past six months. This includes customer updates, press appearances (including the New Yorker) and expansion plans.
You can download the update on our Investors page.
Best wishes,
Rob Laing, CEO
Hi Followers,
Over the past few days we've had a huge boost in investments - everyone's taking the last chance to invest in Farm.One.
We'd love to see your support, so if you've been considering investing, now's the time.
Thanks!
Rob
Hi Followers!
Thanks for supporting us throughout the campaign! We have just a few days until we close - and we have raised over $400,000. There is still time to invest - don't miss out! Make sure to share our video and let your friends know too :)
Rob
[The following is an automated notice from the StartEngine team].
Hello!
As you might know, Farm.One has exceeded its minimum funding goal. When a company reaches its minimum on StartEngine, it's about to begin withdrawing funds. If you invested in Farm.One be on the lookout for an email that describes more about the disbursement process.
This campaign will continue to accept investments until its indicated closing date.
Thanks for funding the future.
-StartEngine
Hi Followers!
Read my new article on LinkedIn for a detailed update on the last 3 months at Farm.One, and a look to the future.
Investment keeps rolling in - thank you so much for your support. As always, if you have any questions for me, I'd love to answer them.
Best wishes,
Rob Laing
CEO & Founder
[The following is an automated notice from the StartEngine team].
Hello!
As you might know, Farm.One has exceeded its minimum funding goal. When a company reaches its minimum on StartEngine, it's about to begin withdrawing funds. If you invested in Farm.One be on the lookout for an email that describes more about the disbursement process.
This campaign will continue to accept investments until its indicated closing date.
Thanks for funding the future.
-StartEngine
Hi Followers,
We are featured on this month's cover of Produce Grower Magazine, the publication for the indoor growing industry. This is an in-depth article covering a number of aspects of our operation. Read more at the link
Hi Followers,
Back in mid-2017, Dovetail Press approached me to write a book about hydroponics and the culinary plants we grow at Farm.One. I was excited to accept, partly because their books are beautiful, but partly because it was a chance to share hydroponics with the rest of the world. So I set about writing the manuscript, while we worked with their team to produce the stunning photos.
Several months later, the book is now available online (and on-site on the farm if you take a tour!). Ditch the Dirt features an in-depth guide to the history of hydroponics, instructions on how to grow at home, and detailed descriptions of dozens of culinary plants.
You can order your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Ditch-Dirt-Edible-Hydroponic-Plants/dp/0998739960
I'd love to know what you think! Happy Growing!
Rob
Hi Followers!
Farm.One has had a lot of media interest lately, from all around the globe. Some of the more notable publications who have featured us include the following, below.
All this is great for tour + class traffic especially. Keep sharing the Farm.One story, and consider investing!
Rob
http://www.coolhunting.com/food-drink/tribeca-farm-one
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/underground-farm-one-new-york-herbs
http://www.3sat.de/mediathek/?mode=play&obj=71820
https://www.sustainthemag.com/stories/botanical-basement
Hi Followers!
We have a number of updates to give you, but I'll keep it brief for today. More to come this week.
New Customers
We're proud to start working with Indian Accent this week, as well as XYST by Matthew Kenney. Check them out in NYC!
Reuters TV
We were filmed by Reuters last week, in a segment syndicated to a number of news outlets worldwide. You can see me chewing a papalo leaf, and (probably more interestingly) see a sneak peek inside Jungsik's kitchen, where pastry chef Eunji Lee makes her creations:
http://www.reuters.tv/v/NGR/2018/03/04/growing-delicate-flavors-in-nyc-s-urban-jungle
Thanks for following!
Rob
I appeared on the Why Food? podcast from Heritage radio show - catch it here to hear about the history of Farm.One and more! My co-hosts 
