Jonas Guenther’s on a mission to assist repair what he calls “our damaged meals system.” Particularly, he needs to handle the massive carbon footprint created by agricultural manufacturing. In 2019, carbon emissions from agriculture accounted for 10% of all emissions within the U.S., in keeping with the EPA.
Jonas Guenther on the farm in Brooklyn
We Are The New Farmers
With that in thoughts, 4 years in the past, Guenther shaped an organization referred to as We Are The New Farmers, a Brooklyn-based city farming enterprise utilizing captured carbon to create sustainable meals from microalgae.
“Our purpose is to unearth the potential microalgae has as a meals supply and anchor it deeper into our meals system,” says Guenther.
The precise microalgae in query is a small, blue-green substance referred to as spirulina. Thought to be a superfood, it’s wealthy in quite a lot of vitamins, with excessive ranges of protein. Guenther’s product comes within the type of frozen cubes or a paste that be included in, say, a smoothie or yogurt.
Guenther isn’t the one social entrepreneur tapping spirulina. For instance, five-year-old Spira faucets spirulina to produce meals coloring dyes that function an alternative choice to the standard petrochemical-based synthetic pigments.
How It Works
The method takes place in a 1,250 sq. foot facility within the Brooklyn Military Terminal with a number of closed tanks stuffed with water wherein the algae is grown. Vitamins, mild and CO2 are added to the combo. As soon as the algae are able to go, they’re eliminated and filtered out of the water. Lastly, the stuff is made right into a paste that’s shipped to clients from a success middle elsewhere in Brooklyn.
It’s all fairly completely different from the standard approach folks develop and eat spirulina. The standard type is a dry powder; creating it entails drying the algae, usually including components and likewise making the vitamins much less efficient, says Guenther. Different variations: Often, spirulina is grown outdoor in open ponds that may be contaminated, whereas Guenther’s product is farmed in an indoor, managed setting, he says. Additionally, his product doesn’t have the robust fishy taste of most dried spirulina, in keeping with Guenther.
From Hamburg to New York
In 2016, Guenther realized what he actually needed to do along with his life was to mix his love of rising crops and know-how. Particularly, he would create an innovation that would deliver down the carbon footprint of meals manufacturing, making it carbon impartial. So Guenther moved from his residence in Hamburg to New York Metropolis to get a graduate diploma in engineering from the NYU College of Engineering and study extra about find out how to tackle the issue. There he constructed a prototype utilizing slightly indoor farm within the basement of the college t.
After that, he and co-founders Michael Udovich and Dan Bernstein took half in a 10-week NYU accelerator program referred to as NYU Summer season Launchpad, the place they found out if they may flip their know-how right into a sustainable product and what their enterprise mannequin could be. In 2018, they shaped an organization and moved into their services in Brooklyn.
Gross sales principally come from on-line purchases. Pre-pandemic outreach to juice bars needed to be placed on maintain, however is now being ramped up once more. By the tip of the yr, Guenther plans to open two new services in New York and Los Angeles. Over the subsequent 5 years, intention is to broaden his product traces to incorporate chewable algae and ready-to-go meals.
The corporate has raised about $1 million, principally from angel networks and syndicates. It’s additionally in the midst of a public crowdfunding marketing campaign, aiming to boost $200,000 to $250,000 by April 12.
