From idea to business

In 2022, Roman and Oleksandr lost their jobs due to the war. At first, they helped the military with vehicles, but later decided to invest in agriculture. That’s how the idea to create a farm for growing microgreens came about.

‘The peas taste like young peas, the radishes like radishes, and the sunflowers are crisp and juicy. From a consumer’s point of view, this provides a wow effect,’ recalls Roman. He adds that many visitors were initially sceptical about the products, but then changed their minds: ‘They came and said it was some kind of grass. But within a few hours, they had eaten the whole tray and asked for more.’

Today, the farm is capable of growing up to 50,000 trays of microgreens per month. Each crop requires a careful approach — from seed selection to ensuring optimal lighting and ventilation. Production works like a kind of green conveyor belt, where new batches of products are planted, cut and packaged every day.

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Underground technology

One of the key features of the farm is its underground location. This allows it to take advantage of geothermal conditions: heat is retained naturally in winter, while temperatures remain lower in summer.

“The main factor in growing microgreens is the climate. We decided to locate the farm underground, where the geothermal temperature helps to retain heat in winter and cools in summer. It also provides ventilation, as fungi are sensitive to draughts and dryness. We need to organise constant drainage, as the evaporation process occurs around the clock,” explains Oleksandr.

The farm already operates almost independently of the power grid. Thanks to solar panels and rechargeable batteries, the entrepreneurs cover most of their own needs. They plan to install wind turbines and switch to electric trucks for product delivery.

‘We realised that we could completely switch to consuming electricity from our own production. The concept of our farm is a green farm,’ Roman emphasises.

Green concept

Entrepreneurs strive to implement a closed production cycle. They plan to recycle microgreen waste into compost and biohumus.

‘We will use the waste as fertiliser for our own plants or sell it to other suppliers. Our farm will not generate greenhouse gases and will operate with zero emissions,’ says Roman.

He emphasises that their farm fits the idea of a truly green business: “We will not release anything into the atmosphere. On the contrary, we will remove even more greenhouse gases by growing plants. In a city where transport is the main source of pollution, this is particularly important.”

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Market entry

Microgreens from the Kyiv farm are already being supplied to the country’s largest retail chains. The products are available both fresh and cut.

“We already meet the needs of the three largest chains in Kyiv and the region and sell our products in other regions through distribution centres. In the future, we plan to enter new chains until we reach maximum productivity — 50,000 trays per month,” says Roman.

This development was made possible by grants. ‘Grants are extremely important for us. They are essentially the only way to finance the expensive equipment needed for development,’ he emphasises.

A look into the future

The underground microgreen farm in Kyiv demonstrates how business, innovation, and environmental care can be combined. The founders are convinced that similar projects can appear in other cities of Ukraine.

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