The new venture will lead to right way to get a healthy and affordable food
American entrepreneurs, Nadia Robinson and Louis Book off have launched a social enterprise to grow and distribute healthy, organic food. The Locals Smart Grow Aquaponics Farm has already started small scale production to meet the growing demand for organic produce.
With degrees in Biotechnology, Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises, Robinson also has multiple years of greenhouse experience.
After playing key roles in launching three start-ups, she teamed up with Book off, who is currently majoring in Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises and Accounting at the Whitman School of Management.
He has a passion for food and has led various marketing campaigns for restaurants along with a startup company.
The brilliant idea they came up with is Locals – a sustainable vertical aquaponics growing system for organic produce that is affordable for all members of the community.
Locals is giving people a healthy food choice. Currently their is a lack of quality food source and what currently is practiced isn’t healthy .
They’re believe that food shouldn’t make you sick and that when growing food corners should not be cut. At Locals we just want to be the change and help others by growing food that doesn’t make you sick.
Aquaponics is a sustainable farming method that utilizes aquatic animals to supply nutrients for plants to grow. The plants in turn purify the water.
The project came to life after years of research and development to meet the growing demand for organic produce that is affordable for the consumer.
The company also has a strong focus on being transparent and socially responsible, with a vision to give everyone access to healthy food regardless of their income or location.
With the high-quality organic food produced, the company aims to significantly reduce the cost to the consumer and provide affordable alternatives for them to live healthier lives.
A fundraising campaign recently launched on the crowd funding site, Indiegogo, aims to raise money to expand the development and production of organic food on a commercial level.
The money will be used to lease grow room, purchase sensors for continuous monitoring and environmental controls, and build the first line of prototypes.
Funds will also be allocated to purchase fish, seeds and other essential materials needed for an aquaponics system.
In the last five years, thousands of dollars have already been invested to develop the system.
The next step involves consultation with a commercial aquaponics system designer to configure the existing small scale system to commercial specifications to meet the public demand.