Shownotes
Prepare to embark on a transformative journey with Jessica Gomez de la Rosa, the innovative CEO of Origeen Greener Cities. From the vibrant buzz of Las Vegas to the concentrated energy of New York City, Jessica will guide us through her captivating discovery of Indoor AgTech and how it's revolutionizing the agricultural landscape. She unveils her ingenious system for vertical farming and surprises us with the revelation that varied crops could flourish within her carefully crafted environment.
We'll then jet off to Mexico, where Jessica's groundbreaking VPOT technology is setting the stage for a vertical farming revolution. She'll lead us through the labyrinth of educating people about the benefits of hydroponic farming and showcase how this cutting-edge technology is being implemented in a variety of settings - homes, shipping containers, and greenhouses. If you're curious about the financial prospects in Mexico's vertical farming industry, Jessica's insightful analysis promises to be a treasure trove of information.
As we navigate the peaks and troughs of introducing a leading-edge technology in the vertical farming space, Jessica's candid reflections on the challenges and rewards of this journey will provide invaluable insights. We'll delve into the intricacies of Origeens' distinct black and white VPOT tech, the vital role of community support in entrepreneurial endeavors, and the promising outlook for the future. Grab your headphones, this episode promises a fun ride through the world of vertical farming that you certainly don't want to miss!
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Key Takeaways
02:01 - 03:00 Modular Scalable Indoor Farming System
07:21 - 08:54 Changes and Feedback on VPOT Design
13:11 - 15:05 Interest in Vertical Farming in Mexico
16:36 - 17:55 Investment Opportunities in Mexican Agriculture
21:54 - 23:07 Hydroponics and Vertical Farming Interest
26:42 - 29:15 Indoor Farming Conference in Mexico
30:43 - 32:01 Vertical Farming Community in Mexico
36:13 - 36:53 Startup Space Excitement and Innovation
Tweetable Quotes
"I've always wanted to be involved in something that can make an environmental and social impact."
"When the investors and people start knowing about the benefits and start to know about the environmental and social and about food security, they will be more curious and they will be open to integrate this kind of agriculture."
"I think what we need to do is create noise. As I said, the few that we are here at Mexico in vertical farming, we are trying to create or build that community, to make noise and to make people know about the benefits."
Resources Mentioned
Origins Greener Cities - https://www.origeen.com.mx/
Indoor AgTech - https://indoor.ag/
Indoor AgCon - https://indoor.ag/indoor-agcon/
World AgriTech - https://worldagritechusa.com/
Vertigo Pacto - https://www.vertigopacto.com/
Expo Agroalimentaria Guanajuato - https://expoagrogto.com/
Rijk Zwaan - https://www.rijkzwaan.com/
Connect With Us
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Mentioned in this episode:
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews
Transcripts
$680 million poured into precision ag last year.
Speaker:Autonomous weeding robots dominated, and John Deere made 2 acquisitions in 3
Speaker:months. A food company, not an equipment maker, bought a
Speaker:robotics startup to protect its own supply chain. The deals are
Speaker:accelerating, the money is moving, and the winners are already separating from the
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Speaker:you need the full picture before your competitors get it. The 2025
Speaker:Precision Agriculture Intelligence Report From iGrow News is now
Speaker:available. Get your copy today at
Speaker:igrownews.com/precision. Actually, it
Speaker:was a surprise for us. The client of the hotel, they reached us.
Speaker:We didn't know that we were going to be installing Bepod in a
Speaker:hotel, especially at Tulum. And so that was
Speaker:surprising. But yeah, we are hoping to
Speaker:integrate our system in other hotels, also restaurants.
Speaker:And we also want to do the social impact part. So we are
Speaker:also working and trying to work with government or
Speaker:companies that want to integrate our system as a
Speaker:sustainable strategy.
Speaker:Welcome to the Vertical Farming Podcast, weekly conversations
Speaker:with fascinating CEOs, founders, and agtech
Speaker:visionaries. Join us every week as we dive deep into the
Speaker:world of vertical farming with your host, Harry Duran.
Speaker:Vertical Farming Podcast, Season 9. Welcome back, regular
Speaker:listeners, always giving you the high five, the virtual hug.
Speaker:Thank you so much for supporting the show, for sharing it with friends, for sharing
Speaker:with others in the vertical farming world, in the broader
Speaker:agtech world. So many great things happening in this
Speaker:space, and I'm grateful to share this time with you week in and week out.
Speaker:If you are a new listener, I want to thank you, specifically you, for
Speaker:Checking out the show. I know you're in the right place because this is the
Speaker:one where we interview fascinating CEOs and founders of the leading vertical farming companies from
Speaker:around the world. I'm your host, Harry Duran, been podcasting since 2014,
Speaker:host of Podcast Junkies, founder of FullCast, our full-service
Speaker:done-for-you podcast agency. I want to take a second to apologize to
Speaker:listeners and viewers. Last week, we had a bit of a hiccup with our
Speaker:production, and thankfully, our guest Cody Journal
Speaker:pointed it out to me. The episode was shortened and cut off, and I was
Speaker:able to upload it to our hosting company, and that's been since
Speaker:corrected. But I wanted to let you know that that
Speaker:is available in full for you to listen to and watch
Speaker:on YouTube. If you specifically are listening only on a
Speaker:podcast app, what you can do is delete that past episode and
Speaker:then re-download it, and you'll get the full episode. So please do that if
Speaker:you were listening to it and then wondering what the heck happened. I
Speaker:saw even someone leave a comment on CastBox, the app. So
Speaker:it's always nice to know people are checking out the episodes, and it's
Speaker:always a bummer when something like that happens. But the show must go on, and
Speaker:I appreciate you being patient with us as we got that fixed. So please check
Speaker:that out. I want you to have the opportunity to listen to that episode in
Speaker:full. Cody's interview was very interesting. We
Speaker:talked about a new topic that hasn't been covered on the show and the work
Speaker:that they're doing rehabilitating old elementary schools and
Speaker:retrofitting them as vertical farms, and specifically to do that
Speaker:and take advantage of zoning limits
Speaker:and working with communities to actually use that space to the best of
Speaker:its ability. It was really interesting, and their background in real estate
Speaker:has them really well-poised to succeed in this space. So, it's a fascinating
Speaker:look into how folks are creating vertical farming spaces, and
Speaker:I know you'll enjoy that one. This week, we traveled to Mexico and speak to
Speaker:Jessica Gomez de la Rosa. She's the CEO of Origene, and in this episode, we
Speaker:talk about her modular scalable system, Vpod, the
Speaker:growing interest in vertical farming in Mexico, and the investment opportunities
Speaker:existing in that space as well. We hear how she's been able to partner with
Speaker:several companies to build her system, and the businesses specifically
Speaker:in Mexico that are interested in their solution. We talk a little bit about a
Speaker:partnership she's built with a hotel in Tulum, the makeup of the team,
Speaker:some of the challenges she's been facing, and what has her excited for the upcoming
Speaker:year. We connected at Indoor AgTech NYC, and it's just a
Speaker:reminder of all the great companies that are at those events. And I'm looking
Speaker:forward to next year's event and specifically the
Speaker:space that they make available for new and upcoming companies. If you are enjoying this
Speaker:episode or past episodes, please, please, please, please, please leave me
Speaker:a rating because I like reading those at
Speaker:ratethispodcast.com/vfb. I love to read yours out
Speaker:next on a future episode. And as always, remember that these episodes are full of
Speaker:great takeaways. And as a listener, I want you to focus all your energy on
Speaker:our conversation. So rest assured, you can always visit verticalfarmingpodcast.com to read
Speaker:the full show notes for each episode, which includes all guest links as well.
Speaker:Okay, before we jump into this uninterrupted conversation with Jessica, here are a few words
Speaker:from the amazing partners that support this show. This episode is brought to you by
Speaker:HortiAgriNEXT, November 20th to the 22nd. In this
Speaker:first edition of the conference, you can expect a vibrant show that'll bring together
Speaker:a portfolio of high-level horticulture technology to the Emirates, with the
Speaker:goal of aiding the Emirates to take the next step in becoming more self-sufficient in
Speaker:their food production, aligning with their 2051 goals. The show
Speaker:is expecting 8,000 to 10,000 visitors over the 3 days and will include
Speaker:investors, buyers, curious farmers, government officials, university
Speaker:professors, and association members. Booths are still available and exhibitors
Speaker:are welcome. Partners for the conference include the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food
Speaker:Safety Authority, Dutch Greenhouse Delta, and Wageningen
Speaker:University, which will provide a wealth of knowledge and insight. Sessions will
Speaker:include a mix of Emirati and Dutch speakers and will highlight how these different
Speaker:worlds will come together in partnership. Based in Abu Dhabi, the agricultural
Speaker:hub of the UAE, the government's involvement will ensure that companies
Speaker:interested in partnering with the Emirates receive their full support. Co-located with
Speaker:VIV MEA 2023, the premier show in livestock production
Speaker:and animal husbandry, This week, we'll provide a comprehensive look at the entire
Speaker:ag industry supply chain, both vertically and horizontally. So,
Speaker:Jessica Gómez de la Rosa, CEO of Origins Greener Cities, thank you
Speaker:for joining me on the Vertical Farming Podcast. Hi, Hari,
Speaker:it's an honor to be here with you at Vertical Farming Podcast.
Speaker:So, we met at Indoor AgTech NYC, and I
Speaker:understand that wasn't your first conference. You had been to indoor
Speaker:farming conferences before? Yeah, I went in
Speaker:2022 in Las Vegas to InterAEGICon.
Speaker:And yeah, both were pretty different.
Speaker:What do you think if you had to explain to someone the difference between the
Speaker:2 conferences was? So the first one
Speaker:about Las Vegas, it's more big, but it's like
Speaker:more focused on big companies. And what
Speaker:I like about the event in New York City is that they
Speaker:speak about real challenges in the
Speaker:industry of indoor farming and vertical farming.
Speaker:How did you find out about the Indoor AgTech NYC
Speaker:event? So I wanted to attend the World
Speaker:AgriTech, and I think it's in California,
Speaker:and I contact Harry from ReadyThink Events,
Speaker:and he told me about this event that is just focusing indoor
Speaker:and vertical farming. So he told me that World AgriTech
Speaker:is very huge. And so he told me that it would
Speaker:be more suitable if I participate because I wanted to pitch,
Speaker:I wanted to participate as a startup. So he told me that it will be
Speaker:more suitable for me to participate and attend
Speaker:to this one in New York. What I like about the
Speaker:Indoor AgTech experience, and this was my second time attending because I
Speaker:went last year and I went this year, I like that they give
Speaker:startups the opportunity to pitch for a few minutes and talk a little
Speaker:bit. And I also like that it's single track, so you're not jumping
Speaker:from room to room. It's the same room, and everyone that's attending is
Speaker:there. So that's a great experience and lets you actually see all the new companies.
Speaker:You did get an opportunity to pitch. So I know you weren't given
Speaker:a lot of time. I think you get a couple of minutes. But what was
Speaker:the focus of your pitch at Indoor AgTech? So my
Speaker:focus were about my system, my modular and scalable
Speaker:system that works for vertical farming, indoor farming,
Speaker:and like different scales. So it was about that.
Speaker:I've also wanted to represent
Speaker:Mexico and to see what they think about our
Speaker:system and also to look for investment opportunities.
Speaker:What was the feedback from anyone that you connected with
Speaker:after you gave your talk? So actually, there was
Speaker:an investor who talked to me, he was very interested, we are still
Speaker:talking. And they were also other people who
Speaker:wanted to know more about my system, how it works, if we
Speaker:manufacture in Mexico or not, what we were doing,
Speaker:like all of that stuff. So for the benefit of listener, can you
Speaker:describe the Origin system and who would be an ideal
Speaker:client for you? Okay, so DeepPot is
Speaker:actually like a pot. It works like a Lego. It's
Speaker:modular, it's scalable, and it can be adapted to
Speaker:different spaces for growing and
Speaker:producing food almost everywhere— indoors, outdoors,
Speaker:vertically. And our system works for soil
Speaker:substrate and also for as a hydroponic
Speaker:system. So it's basically a pot where you
Speaker:can grow food, especially green leafy greens, like
Speaker:different varieties of lettuce, rucola, basil,
Speaker:rainbow chard. Yeah. How long have you been working
Speaker:on this project? Like 2 years, almost a little
Speaker:bit more. And naturally, because this is
Speaker:obviously a growing industry, not a lot of people
Speaker:went to college to study vertical farming, and I don't think that you did either.
Speaker:Can you talk a little bit about your background prior to starting Origins?
Speaker:Sure. So, the path somehow led me to
Speaker:what I want. So, I studied environmental and spaces
Speaker:designer. That is like a mix of design, architecture,
Speaker:urbanism, and landscaping. And so, the story is
Speaker:that I've always wanted to be involved
Speaker:in something that can make an impact in environmental and
Speaker:social impact. And I
Speaker:was going to like explore the world
Speaker:of landscaping and urban farming. And somehow my
Speaker:current partners invited me to this project where we
Speaker:started doing green walls and vertical gardens.
Speaker:And then in the process, we find out that our system
Speaker:is very functional and that we can change the irrigation
Speaker:system. So we did our hydroponic version. So
Speaker:it is the same design, but can also work for
Speaker:hydroponic drip irrigation system. So
Speaker:somehow I'm doing what I wanted to do. It's not
Speaker:urban farming, but I'm in the innovation
Speaker:industry and I'm doing both green walls
Speaker:and hydroponic. Can you talk a little bit about those
Speaker:first early days as you were moving from this concept of creating the green
Speaker:walls and obviously with your passion for landscapes and urban
Speaker:farms, What was the experience you had when you started to
Speaker:realize that you could actually grow crops with your
Speaker:system? Oh, it was very
Speaker:surprising, actually. And it was very surprising
Speaker:because here in Mexico, there is no information about vertical and indoor
Speaker:farming. The information that you can find is in English,
Speaker:or you can go with Karla Garcia from More to Americas Mexico.
Speaker:I call her the guru. of indoor and vertical farming here in Mexico.
Speaker:I think she doesn't know that. But so yeah, when we started,
Speaker:we didn't know about Carla García actually. Where we
Speaker:started, we started researching, like doing some
Speaker:tryouts and it was very exciting. We
Speaker:didn't know what we were doing. Like,
Speaker:yeah, I mean, you know that the world of vertical and indoor farming, it's
Speaker:a big world. Yeah. I'm still learning. And so yeah,
Speaker:back then when we had our first hydroponic system,
Speaker:we did like a course with Karla García.
Speaker:We met her in that course here at our city in León,
Speaker:Guanajuato. And we invited her to
Speaker:make that course here at León so that she can
Speaker:tell us about our system, so that she can approve
Speaker:our system or not. Yeah. So she
Speaker:told us that she liked our system. She gave us a little bit of
Speaker:like some comments and some changes about our irrigation system.
Speaker:We made those like about 2 years ago, a little bit
Speaker:more. And yeah, now it works perfectly.
Speaker:And I mean, we're still doing some changes to optimize and to
Speaker:have a better system, but yeah, it's validated.
Speaker:What were some of the changes or what were some of the guidance that she
Speaker:provided that was helpful for you? So one of the changes
Speaker:that she told us were about the lamps and
Speaker:the lightening. Also, so we didn't know that
Speaker:the lamps were supposed to be at some points and distance
Speaker:and everything at that time. And the
Speaker:other change was an accessory that we use for support
Speaker:and also as an irrigation system that were transparent and
Speaker:allows to make a little bit of
Speaker:algae. And so we did the
Speaker:same connector but in black. So that's some of the
Speaker:changes. They were just a few. Yeah. I think
Speaker:what was interesting when we spoke was that the design is
Speaker:different than what we've seen before. And you mentioned V-Pot, and sometimes
Speaker:people may not know what that is, but that actually is
Speaker:V-P-O-T. Yeah. And from the research
Speaker:I've done and what we've talked about, it sounds like it's
Speaker:made— first of all, it's made entirely from recycled plastics, which makes it obviously a
Speaker:sustainable option for urban farming. And that you mentioned
Speaker:Legos, and I think that's a great visual because it's modular and it's
Speaker:scalable to different spaces, which makes it easy for
Speaker:installations on walls and basically any structure
Speaker:like you mentioned, indoors or outdoors, where people want to grow fresh
Speaker:produce. So what's been the feedback for the people that you're
Speaker:working with about that design? Because it is different than what, you know,
Speaker:we've seen previously with wall units. They actually
Speaker:liked our system a lot when we were at Las Vegas.
Speaker:So they thought that we were a Dutch company. I mean,
Speaker:I think that's a good thing, but we are very proud to be
Speaker:a Mexican company. And that we designed the system
Speaker:and that we also manufacture the system. So
Speaker:I think that's a very good response. We also have different
Speaker:people from around the world, like, asking me to grow
Speaker:some things in our system. Some of them are not
Speaker:suitable. So I told them, like, okay, no, we cannot
Speaker:grow this. We cannot grow a carrot, for example, in our system.
Speaker:But yeah, so there's So a lot of interest in our system
Speaker:also because you can also use substrate and soil
Speaker:and yeah. So can you talk a little bit about the
Speaker:first partners or clients that you're working with
Speaker:and what their experience has been or the type of produce that they're growing or
Speaker:even like the types of locations where they're installing the
Speaker:Veepod system? Okay, so we have different
Speaker:types of clients. Our first ones actually were
Speaker:the government of the state of Guanajuato. It's my
Speaker:state where I live. So with them, we did like a
Speaker:social impact project where our system is in
Speaker:different communities in the state, like 3 different communities. We
Speaker:teach the people of the communities of low incomes to grow
Speaker:their own lettuce and to also have some
Speaker:incomes there. And so that's our first
Speaker:client. Then we have another client, like
Speaker:different clients that are some families that have screen walls and
Speaker:another greenhouse who, where we are doing like a
Speaker:little bit of validations with strawberry.
Speaker:But yeah, we need another BigBot. That's another story.
Speaker:But yeah, and right now we have another client that is at a
Speaker:hotel in Tulum. They have a hybrid project that is
Speaker:natural light and also artificial light. And it's in
Speaker:the, at the beginning of, in the entrance. Have you
Speaker:found a specific type of location or partner where you
Speaker:feel like the Origin System makes most sense? You did mention
Speaker:hotels, and I think maybe because of, you know, the way that they're structured, and
Speaker:obviously they have a need for a large need for fresh produce. Do you feel
Speaker:like in terms of thinking about target industries or
Speaker:target businesses that would make good partners for you, are you leaning
Speaker:towards more hotels, restaurants, or, and are you seeing that the
Speaker:system could be valuable there? Yeah. So
Speaker:actually it was a surprise for us. The client of
Speaker:the hotel, they reached us. We didn't know that we were going
Speaker:to be installed at Beepod in a hotel. especially at Tulum.
Speaker:And so that was surprising. But yeah, we
Speaker:are hoping to integrate our system in other hotels,
Speaker:also restaurants. And we also want to do the
Speaker:social impact part. So we are also working and
Speaker:trying to work with government or companies that want to
Speaker:integrate our system as a sustainable strategy.
Speaker:And for people that are using this type of system, given that it's a little
Speaker:different than what they typically understand with hydroponics.
Speaker:Can you talk a little bit about the other pieces of the installation? Because a
Speaker:lot of times, you know, people will have a question about what type of lighting
Speaker:would this be good for? Does that need to be in place? Do you purchase
Speaker:the system together? Are there recommendations that you're making around there? So
Speaker:yeah, so our system includes the whole irrigation system.
Speaker:We do not sell the lamps. We are now using
Speaker:Hortamerica's lamps. But I mean, it depends on the client. If the
Speaker:client wants to use another type of lamps, it's fine for
Speaker:us. It's okay. And about the use of BeePod, so
Speaker:as I said, it works for different scales. So you can have BeePod
Speaker:at your home, or you can have BeePod in an indoor space
Speaker:like shipping containers or a room, or you can have BeePod in
Speaker:a greenhouse. So as it's recycled
Speaker:plastics, it's very resistant. The life of the BeePod is
Speaker:like 10 to 15 years. Can you talk a little bit about
Speaker:what you're seeing in Mexico with the vertical
Speaker:farming industry? You mentioned, you know, there's some resources like Carla that
Speaker:are a good voice, but it still seems to be like pretty new and
Speaker:there's like not a lot of companies in the space. I had a conversation
Speaker:with Juan Sucar from— I'm trying to remember. Yeah,
Speaker:Verde Compacto. That's it. Okay. I had a conversation with Juan Sucar from
Speaker:Verde Compacto. about his container system. So obviously there's a couple
Speaker:of people doing things in this space, and I imagine it's still a small community,
Speaker:but what are you seeing so far in terms of interest from businesses and other
Speaker:people, you know, entrepreneurs as well getting started? Yeah, so we are
Speaker:a few, but the few that— the few of us, we are
Speaker:trying to like to build the community here in Mexico,
Speaker:to grow the market, to grow vertical farming here. And
Speaker:we are like just Like 5 companies, I think.
Speaker:Yeah. So we are trying to build the community and to also to
Speaker:make noise to grow the market and so people can
Speaker:know the benefits of growing in vertical farming.
Speaker:You mentioned that the Vpod is a modular system. Obviously, that's something you
Speaker:can have in your home or even, you know, as an example, you mentioned the
Speaker:hotel in Tulum. Are you having conversations with people who
Speaker:are looking at it in a bigger installation? Yeah,
Speaker:there's— so Mexico is surprising me. There's people very
Speaker:open to, like, to new things and new technologies
Speaker:about agriculture. So yeah, there are
Speaker:some people in— I don't know if you
Speaker:know about Mexico— but in Guadalajara, in Monterrey, and other places that
Speaker:want to build indoor farming and also
Speaker:greenhouses for vertical farming. So There are some projects there.
Speaker:It will be in the long term, but yeah, there's people
Speaker:interested in integrating these new technologies.
Speaker:So the company is relatively young, and I'm wondering
Speaker:if you could talk a little bit about your background and a little bit about
Speaker:what you studied and actually how you ended up working on this project.
Speaker:Okay. So I studied environmental and space design.
Speaker:It's a mix of design, architecture, urbanism, and
Speaker:landscaping. I've always preferred
Speaker:exterior and the part of introducing plants in
Speaker:our daily spaces. They have a lot of
Speaker:different benefits, and I wanted to do something with
Speaker:that and something that could make an impact in social and
Speaker:environment. So I started
Speaker:with the world of landscaping and urban farming, and
Speaker:somehow my current partners invited me to this project
Speaker:where we can do green walls and vertical farming.
Speaker:And I'm doing both right now. So somehow I'm in
Speaker:that path and I'm doing like, yeah, I can do also
Speaker:environmental and social impact. So how big is the current
Speaker:team and do you have plans for growing it? You know, what's the potential
Speaker:that you see? We definitely need to grow our team,
Speaker:but yeah, we're currently 5. There's a mechatronic
Speaker:engineer, another entrepreneur— both of them are
Speaker:entrepreneurs— and Carla Garcia is also helping us
Speaker:a lot. Carla from Hertz Americas. Yeah. For
Speaker:people that don't know a lot about what the investment opportunities
Speaker:are in Mexico, I know that in the States There's been a lot of concerns
Speaker:with the industry, you know, news about restructuring,
Speaker:AeroFarms bankruptcies. You know, a lot of people are wondering
Speaker:where the industry is headed and, you know,
Speaker:if everyone is taking a pause. And I know that you're a
Speaker:relatively new company, but do you have
Speaker:conversations or have you heard of conversations with people who
Speaker:may be interested in vertical farming in Mexico from an investment
Speaker:standpoint? Yeah, so there's interest in
Speaker:investing in these new technologies
Speaker:in agriculture, but in Mexico, there's like a
Speaker:little bit more of interest in soil
Speaker:regeneration projects. Yeah, that's definitely
Speaker:a challenge because some of that happens here in the United States
Speaker:because of monocrops, because of, you know, continuing to grow the same
Speaker:crop on the same land years and decades. It's damaging the soil, and I
Speaker:think a lot of people have now realized realizing the harm that
Speaker:it's causing when that happens. And I think there's focus
Speaker:here in the States on projects around regenerative
Speaker:agriculture, and so there I can see how that would be an interest there as
Speaker:well. Do you think that in Mexico part of it
Speaker:is educating people about indoor farming? Because I
Speaker:know here, even for myself, you know, when I started
Speaker:this podcast, I would go to the supermarket and I would not pay attention
Speaker:to the lettuce, you know, where it's coming from. And most of it, obviously, in
Speaker:the comes from California, 90% of it. And so I'm wondering,
Speaker:you know, if you see some of the same challenges there, because ultimately,
Speaker:if people don't understand the difference between something that's grown hydroponically and
Speaker:locally, you know, they're just gonna keep buying the same products, you know,
Speaker:without thinking where their produce is coming from. Yeah, for
Speaker:sure. Some of the reasons is because they do not know about,
Speaker:like, the benefits, because they do not know about
Speaker:hydroponics. Like, they do not know what's hydroponic. That's
Speaker:like the first thing. But yeah, I think that when the investors and
Speaker:people start knowing about the benefits and start to know
Speaker:about the environmental and social and about food
Speaker:security, they will be more curious and they will be
Speaker:like open to integrate this kind of agriculture. I think the
Speaker:biggest test sometimes with these types of projects is
Speaker:if you're able to explain vertical farming to like your family and your friends,
Speaker:because that's something that I've come across as well, because, you know, I tell people
Speaker:about the show and I tell people about vertical farming and they have this like
Speaker:look in their face like they don't exactly understand. And I'm wondering, yeah, what that
Speaker:experience has been like for you. The same, but I've
Speaker:also involved my family in what I'm doing because I also
Speaker:bring some of the Bepots and our system here at home. So
Speaker:they are a little bit involved, and not as much as me. They
Speaker:know about hydroponic They know about some of the
Speaker:parameters and measures that you need to do, but just that.
Speaker:When you think about the opportunities for Origins
Speaker:and different markets where
Speaker:you think the system would be a good fit, what do you think are going
Speaker:to be some of the challenges for you in getting the word out and letting
Speaker:people know? Do you feel like it's maybe just getting to more conferences
Speaker:and demoing the system for people? Is that providing value or
Speaker:other opportunities that you can think of that would be helpful for you to
Speaker:get the word out? That's a good question. So
Speaker:yeah, I mean, it would depend, but so I think it's a challenge,
Speaker:but it's also opportunity for us to open a new
Speaker:market or this market of vertical and indoor farming
Speaker:here in Mexico. I think what we need to do is like noise,
Speaker:as I said, the few that we are here at Mexico
Speaker:in vertical farming. We are like trying to
Speaker:create or build a community to make noise and
Speaker:to make people know about the benefits.
Speaker:So that's like one way. I
Speaker:also try to go to events that
Speaker:are of agriculture and
Speaker:we also are going to launch
Speaker:our hydroponic kit for homes. So I think
Speaker:that will be also an opportunity for us to make noise and
Speaker:to make people know about how you can grow food in hydroponic
Speaker:and in a sustainable way and produce fresh food.
Speaker:One of the challenges that I've seen
Speaker:early on with companies is finding the right people to hire
Speaker:because not a lot of people understand a lot of these
Speaker:systems. And what I'm seeing and what I'm hearing in these
Speaker:conversations is that sometimes people don't really need to
Speaker:know specifically about a technology. I think what's
Speaker:more important is for them to have a passion and to be excited and to
Speaker:want to learn. Yeah. And maybe they don't understand hydroponics, but because they
Speaker:see what you're doing, they see what's happening in Mexico, and they
Speaker:see, you know, that this is an industry that's growing, that hopefully that they can
Speaker:work with you and maybe as an intern or maybe part-time. Are you seeing more
Speaker:of an interest in a younger generation in terms of people at least paying
Speaker:attention to topics like hydroponics and vertical farming?
Speaker:I think about age would be both. So
Speaker:I've heard about like young people who
Speaker:want to know about this world of vertical and indoor farming,
Speaker:but I've also known people that are more older,
Speaker:like really more older, that wants to know
Speaker:about this world. So, I don't think it's about the age. I
Speaker:think it's about the person, as you say, wants to learn a little bit more,
Speaker:wants to have more skills, and like just
Speaker:know about producing food in a sustainable way. It
Speaker:sounds like there's more people being curious regardless of their
Speaker:age, you know, whether it is younger people or an older generation.
Speaker:I think they're curious, especially when you talk about topics like sustainability
Speaker:and, you know, healthier living. And I think that's a topic that's
Speaker:more and more important for people. And I think I could see
Speaker:as people get older, they probably want to give back and they want to do
Speaker:more for society. So I think that probably explains why they have more
Speaker:of an interest in those topics. So Jessica, you mentioned the very
Speaker:small community that you have in Mexico that's growing. that's learning
Speaker:more, and you have your other peers and your other owners
Speaker:of vertical farming companies getting together. Can you talk a little bit about what you're
Speaker:doing to build community there? Yeah, so we actually
Speaker:have a WhatsApp group, and we also meet
Speaker:each other in different events of agriculture and everything.
Speaker:But I mean, it's pretty early, but we want to create
Speaker:like a big community. I think that there's a lot of new
Speaker:entrepreneurs that are doing microgreens and that are
Speaker:trying to do something with hydroponics or vertical
Speaker:farming. So I invite them to join us.
Speaker:And also, I think that the, like, the person
Speaker:who is also doing this community
Speaker:and helping, like, a lot is Carla Garcia. I mean, she wants
Speaker:to create this community and to see Mexico growing in
Speaker:this vertical farming industry. It sounds like at some
Speaker:point I should probably reach out to Karla to have her on the podcast. Yeah,
Speaker:yeah, I think so. Can you talk a little bit about the
Speaker:challenges as a new company with a new technology
Speaker:that you're currently experiencing and how you're tackling those problems?
Speaker:Okay, so one of the challenges is that because
Speaker:it is a new system, Some of them, it doesn't
Speaker:matter and they just want to try out. And there are others
Speaker:that to make the investment, they
Speaker:first want to try out and then like
Speaker:go to the next step. So for those, especially
Speaker:for greenhouses or big companies, we are open to
Speaker:lend them our system to try out and then
Speaker:we can go to the next step. And have you had success with that
Speaker:approach? Yeah, actually, within
Speaker:a greenhouse here in Mexico, but I'm also talking about
Speaker:other companies, like for example, in the United States. Okay.
Speaker:Another feature of your system is the fact that it uses recycled
Speaker:irrigation. Can you talk a little bit about that? Because I think that's helpful also.
Speaker:Yes, let me explain. So our system, at the
Speaker:bottom you have the water container. where you also put the
Speaker:nutrients. This will go up with a pump, then
Speaker:down as gravity, and then it will recircle. We did
Speaker:our system like this because we also wanted to be more environmentally
Speaker:friendly. Is that a feature that when
Speaker:people have it installed in their systems, is that something that they
Speaker:appreciate, the fact that it's actually recycled irrigation? Yeah,
Speaker:they like that it is recycled. And I also noticed that you
Speaker:have it in different colors. There's a black and a white. Is there a
Speaker:reason for that? And are you seeing feedback from clients that have a preference?
Speaker:Yeah, so sometimes it's because of the
Speaker:space or the design of the space that it is. But there's
Speaker:also some clients want to prefer the white one
Speaker:because it looks more clean. But some clients
Speaker:prefer the black one because they can,
Speaker:they find out that it works better in some places because of the
Speaker:temperature or also because it won't generate
Speaker:algae or like that kind of stuff. Our
Speaker:system does not generate like a lot of algae, but
Speaker:I mean, it's less from other systems, but with the black
Speaker:one, it produced less.
Speaker:Okay. So it seems like you had a great
Speaker:experience at Indoor AgTech, do you have plans to be attending
Speaker:any more indoor farming conferences either in the States or in Mexico?
Speaker:Internationally, not right now, but here in Mexico, there is
Speaker:a big event of agriculture that is
Speaker:called Expo Agroalimentaria in
Speaker:Guanajuato. It's a big one where you can see lots
Speaker:of agriculture products and also you can do the tour
Speaker:of greenhouses with high technology and also using
Speaker:hydroponics and different kinds of technology. Wow.
Speaker:I think this year they're going to put like a whole lot of innovation and
Speaker:technology. Right now about the vertical farming and
Speaker:indoor farming, it's just me, Origin, and
Speaker:Vertical Compact also. Yeah, we are trying to make noise and
Speaker:to open this market. Yeah. It seems like the
Speaker:biggest challenge for you, and a lot of times when people try
Speaker:to understand that are coming from traditional agriculture,
Speaker:and it's a lot of it they don't understand because that's all they've known. So
Speaker:it seems like that conference is going to be a really good opportunity for you
Speaker:to demonstrate the technology, for them to see it, to touch it, to show
Speaker:them the examples. And I imagine there'll be at some point
Speaker:people will be looking for tours of some of these facilities as well. But I
Speaker:think because it seems like it's going to be such a big conference, there's going
Speaker:to be a really good opportunity to get more visibility for what you and what
Speaker:Juan are doing. Yeah, sure. I mean, as I said, it's a
Speaker:challenge, but it's also opportunity. And also,
Speaker:for me, Mexico, it's been surprising me about
Speaker:vertical farming because there's a lot of people that are interested
Speaker:in this kind of agriculture.
Speaker:And So I was there last year and
Speaker:there were like a lot of people asking me and like very
Speaker:excited and about knowing what we are doing and how it
Speaker:works and yeah, and the benefits. So the
Speaker:other thing that I wanted to mention is that we're going to be in a
Speaker:booth with one of our collaborations and partners,
Speaker:Itzco. Itzco is a company of seeds. They are the
Speaker:main distributors of a Dutch company that you may know, that
Speaker:it's Richemont. So yeah, we are going to be there
Speaker:in the Expo Agroalimentaria and
Speaker:in a booth with ITS CO. This is something that I've—
Speaker:that's been coming up a lot for past guests. I always like to
Speaker:ask this to see where you are at as an entrepreneur. So
Speaker:what is a tough question that you've had to ask yourself Recently?
Speaker:I think my question of every day
Speaker:is I'm like leading the company to the
Speaker:best path. And like the question that I do myself
Speaker:every day is if we are going in the best path or
Speaker:we are doing the best strategies, or do we need to change the
Speaker:strategies or like which part of the
Speaker:team it's more important as to grow, if I need
Speaker:someone in finance, or if I need someone in marketing,
Speaker:like which one is— because we are growing. So we need to see
Speaker:like, where is more suitable and
Speaker:where to put our money. And yeah.
Speaker:Yeah, those are very common questions for an entrepreneur. And being an entrepreneur myself,
Speaker:I think we wear many hats. And you mentioned like, you know, finances one day
Speaker:and marketing one day and infrastructure and leadership and team
Speaker:building. And so sales, which is very important. Yes.
Speaker:So I think it's not uncommon to have that question, and I think it's been
Speaker:very consistent, especially for the people that I've had on the show. So,
Speaker:but I appreciate you being vulnerable because I know that being an entrepreneur is not
Speaker:easy, and I think the most important thing to do is really to ask for
Speaker:help. So it sounds like, you know, by partnering with
Speaker:people like Carla and building that community in Mexico, obviously,
Speaker:you know, everyone's trying to help each other succeed, and that's what's happening in vertical
Speaker:All these companies are working together overall, but because in Mexico you have
Speaker:an even smaller community, I think the fact that you've created the WhatsApp group
Speaker:and that you're speaking to each other, you know, you're going to have a lot
Speaker:of the same challenges. So it's nice to see that there is a small community
Speaker:there and that you're supporting each other because I think, you know, I can definitely
Speaker:relate in the beginning. A lot of it is challenging, a lot of it is
Speaker:scary. You know, you're not sure, you know, what the next week, month, or year
Speaker:is going to look like. So I think the fact that you recognize
Speaker:that as a challenge, that you're also aware enough
Speaker:to ask for help when you need it, I think that's important too. And to
Speaker:have a multidisciplinary team also. I mean, to know how to
Speaker:ask for help and— but also— So I appreciate you coming on and
Speaker:sharing your journey and everything that's happening with
Speaker:Origene. And I think it's an innovative approach that we haven't
Speaker:seen a lot. discussed here on the show. I also want to give you
Speaker:an opportunity, and I know that you've got to connect with some of your
Speaker:startups at Indoor AgTech, but I also want to leave space here, and I've been
Speaker:doing this at the end of these conversations. Is there anything that you have in
Speaker:terms of a message for your peers, for your colleagues in the
Speaker:vertical farming industry? Yeah, sure. So I will
Speaker:ask them or invite them to be more open about new
Speaker:technologies. I mean, not just the vertical farming industry.
Speaker:I would say that to people to be more open to new
Speaker:technologies, especially in agriculture. I mean, since the
Speaker:beginning, we have found other tools, other technologies.
Speaker:And I mean, this is just a new one and
Speaker:just be open to try out and be open to also help
Speaker:startups and entrepreneurs. So that we can
Speaker:grow this market and this industry. And I think what's
Speaker:also important to add to that, I love the
Speaker:idea of helping out growing communities, and I would encourage
Speaker:anyone who's listening who's interested in vertical farming,
Speaker:specifically in working in Mexico, I think, to
Speaker:connect with that group. And we'll make sure we have the details for the
Speaker:WhatsApp group in the show notes, and then obviously your contact information.
Speaker:But I think it's helpful because you don't want people to feel like they need
Speaker:to start from zero. And if they're doing anything vertical farming, it's growing
Speaker:at a good pace in Mexico and obviously across the globe. But
Speaker:it's probably helpful if you're doing anything in vertical farming to connect
Speaker:with the group and all the companies that you're connected with,
Speaker:because I think, you know, there's probably a lot of lessons that you're learning
Speaker:in terms of dealing with companies and educating companies and hotels and
Speaker:businesses, you know, who are learning about vertical farming. So you and the other
Speaker:companies that you're connected with are doing that work. So I think it'd be helpful
Speaker:for people to not lose sight of that and to just make sure that they
Speaker:take advantage of that. And so we'll make sure that that opportunity is there and
Speaker:people can connect and reach out to you. Yeah, I think the best way to
Speaker:grow this community is helping each other.
Speaker:And yeah, just grow the community and please
Speaker:feel free to reach me out and also Carla Garcia. And
Speaker:there's also Leo from Karma Verde Fresh, I mean,
Speaker:we are few, but we are trying to create a community.
Speaker:And I mean, there's clients everywhere, so,
Speaker:and for all, so it doesn't matter. Yeah. Yeah,
Speaker:I think the common message that I've heard across these conversations is that
Speaker:here in the States, in English, they call this an all hands on deck moment.
Speaker:So meaning like, it's an important time and all hands on deck is like on
Speaker:the boat, like get everyone on the deck, on the top of the boat, because
Speaker:like we need everybody, we need everyone to do this. And a lot of times,
Speaker:you know, you see that there's a lot of companies and services that, you know,
Speaker:maybe compete with each other, in quotes. I'm using quotes if you're listening. And
Speaker:a lot of times, you know, people say like, I don't want to tell people
Speaker:like my secrets, or I don't want to share what I'm doing. But I think
Speaker:the bigger picture is that across the world and across the globe,
Speaker:we're seeing these challenges about local food systems being
Speaker:impacted and supply chains being impacted and people not having access
Speaker:to fresh food. And having to ship food thousands and thousands of miles
Speaker:across the country to get to your plate. And we all know that's not
Speaker:sustainable. And I think we're all on the same mission together. So just
Speaker:kind of to echo what you just said, you know, like even if you think
Speaker:there's crossover or if you think you're doing the same thing, there's no harm in
Speaker:having a conversation, seeing what's working for you, seeing, you know, the challenge that you're
Speaker:having in Mexico and how they're different than what's being experienced in Holland, in,
Speaker:in the States. You know, in the, you know, Middle East, everywhere you go, everyone's
Speaker:got specific challenges, but we're all sort of trying to solve the same problem.
Speaker:So I think the more of these conversations that we have, the better. So I
Speaker:agree with you. In Mexico, decimos hay para todos. Yes,
Speaker:there's enough for everyone. Perfect. I love that. Yeah. So
Speaker:the best place to— for people to learn more is the, the website
Speaker:origene.com.mx. We'll make sure we have the link in the show notes.
Speaker:Is there any other place you want people to to reach out to connect with
Speaker:you and learn more? There's also Instagram and
Speaker:LinkedIn. Okay, and we'll make sure that we have links to
Speaker:those profiles in the show notes as well. So, Jessica, thank
Speaker:you. I'm always excited when I go to these conferences to learn more
Speaker:about what's happening in the startup space, to meet some of
Speaker:my past guests. And now that next time we meet, you'll fit that
Speaker:qualification because I appreciate you taking the time and coming on the
Speaker:show. I know sometimes it can be a bit of a challenge to communicate
Speaker:this type of technology through a podcast conversation, but I, I would
Speaker:encourage people to learn more, to visit the site. And I
Speaker:think what's happening in the space is really exciting, and I think there's
Speaker:different opportunities to solve this problem using different methods. And so it's
Speaker:always exciting to see companies trying new things in the space, and I think what
Speaker:you're doing is really interesting and innovative, and I'm excited to watch
Speaker:your journey as well. So thank you for taking the time to come on the
Speaker:show. Thank you so much, Harry, for the invitation. I really
Speaker:enjoyed this podcast and I also enjoyed the
Speaker:interview and you asked me really good
Speaker:questions that I might think.
Speaker:And yep. Thank you so much. Okay. Take care.
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