Tiny trays, big visions

How a millennial duo turned a small space into a thriving urban microgreens farm

MANILA, Philippines — Amid the noise and pollution of Sta. Mesa, Manila, a humble 70-square-meter space breathes and sprawls fresh microgreens and edible flowers. It’s an urban farm brought to life by millennials passionate about sustainability and eager to address today’s pressing agricultural issues.

For millennials Eldrin Lee, 31, and Skyrene Bacalso, 29, the idea of creating an urban farm focused primarily on microgreens dates back several years. Their paths crossed through a non-government organization, where Lee’s background in science and Bacalso’s experience in accounting aligned, bringing them together to fulfill this vision.

“Parang hindi ko akalain na I will end up sa agriculture. But since nakita ko yung problems about sustainability and agriculture, naisip ko na sige, let’s try to solve this issue coming from a technical background,” Lee said.

Without prior knowledge or academic background in agriculture, the two took a leap of faith to study urban farming techniques and practices, specifically for microgreens, by researching and watching online videos before opening their business in 2022.

With their newfound skills and determination, Nama Urban Farms (Nama Microgreens) was born. Nama means “fresh” or “as it is” in Japanese.

Lee said that they wanted to create something that would contribute to the country’s sustainability. Nama Microgreens primarily uses vertical farming techniques to maximize the use of its space.

The business chose not to use the hydroponics farming technique because it is not organic due to the use of mineral or potassium salts, Lee added.

The farm uses potting mediums, which, according to Lee, are not soil but have the essence of planting. The farm also avoids synthetic pesticides and fertilizers for its plants.

One of the cash grants received by Nama Urban Farms in 2023.

Growing demand

Microgreens are not separate from vegetables — they are simply an early stage of growth. Unlike fully mature vegetables, these nutrient-packed greens can be grown from seed to harvest in as little as seven to 21 days.

Microgreens may not be for the masses just yet, Lee said, but pointed out that these “baby vegetables” have significant market potential due to their health benefits.

“Ngayon, ang primary audience ng microgreens ay ang culinary sector. Pero, there’s this underlying layer – meron pang untapped potential ang microgreens, not just for culinary, but for health reasons din, dahil ito ay tinuturing na superfood,” he said.

Mary Rose Del Rio, a nutritionist-dietitian who’s been in practice for a decade, emphasized that microgreens are considered “superfoods” because of their high fiber, vitamins (A, B, C, E and K), and minerals such as potassium, magnesium and iron.

Del Rio shared that studies show that microgreens are richer in antioxidants and phytochemicals than mature vegetables.

At present, Nama Microgreens supplies to various fine-dining restaurants, hotels, cafes, catering services and culinary schools across the country. The demand is driven not only by the health benefits of microgreens but also by their potential to fuel chefs’ creativity in serving dishes. Chefs, Lee said, experiment with different colors through the microgreens to enhance the presentation of their dishes.

Nama offers 15 varieties of microgreens, including arugula, pea shoots, radish, beets, chervil, red mustard, red amaranth, pansit-pansitan, basil and even edible flowers like blue peas and viola. Each gram of microgreens costs P3.

“You realize that chefs are artists themselves in a way. They look for different colors of microgreens, different palettes and different ways to enhance their dishes. They experiment with the colors and the flavors,” Lee said.

Radish, arugula, purple radish, and alfalfa are among the 15 varieties or microgreens Nama offers.

Versatility and convenience

Microgreens also provide consumers with versatility and convenience. Del Rio said that these young vegetables require less preparation time, so consumers can add them to any meal without the hassle of cooking.

Del Rio shared that some of her clients and patients prefer microgreens with a neutral taste, as they’re easier to consume and incorporate into their daily diets.

Del Rio emphasized that microgreens offer greater variety in how people can consume them, adding essential nutrients to a person’s diet. Filipinos can add microgreens to sauteed meat by sprinkling them on or blending them with other vegetables and fruits, eliminating the need to chop mature vegetables, Del Rio said.

Furthermore, another key quality of microgreens is that they require less washing. Del Rio explained that washing traditional mature vegetables can cause loss of water-soluble vitamins, such as B and C. With microgreens, consumers do not need to wash them as much as mature vegetables, she added.

Encouraging the youth

Nama Microgreens is composed of multigenerational employees, from interns in their 20s to full-time mothers in their 40s and 50s. Despite the varying ages, all of them have one common denominator: they do not have prior experience in farming, but they have a passion for sustainability. Nama Microgreens offers two months of paid training for the members before onboarding.

According to Lee, one of Nama Microgreens’ advocacies is to entice more people—both young and old—into agriculture.

He added that their mission from the very beginning has been to encourage young people to enter agriculture, which is why they participated in the Department of Agriculture’s Young Farmers Challenge (YFC). Through the DA, the YFC was able to secure financial grants of over P300,000 over the past few years, allowing them to scale up their urban farming production.

“Nama (Microgreens) champions creativity and features dishes that can inspire others. Working toward health and enhancing the experience of food that is delicious, healthy and environmentally conscious is its passion,” according to DA.

Expanding its mission beyond farming, Nama Microgreens also launched its Nourishment program in April in partnership with Move to Change Foundation Inc. The program aims to bridge urban farming, education and community nourishment.

“The campaign brings together various sectors — from the private sector, NGO and the government — to cultivate youth awareness, collaboration and institutional engagement toward a more sustainable urban farm-to-table way of living,” Move to Change Foundation Inc. said in a Facebook post.

For Lee, when people and sectors work together in harmony, the promise of food security becomes achievable not just for the present but for the future. “Rural farms and urban farms should complement each other. Kailangan talaga magkaroon ng synergistic effect ang urban at rural farms for a more food-secure society,” he concluded. — Alyssa Dauz

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This story was produced by senior journalism students at the University of Santo Tomas for their agricultural journalism elective course.