Producer

In 2018, the Wind River Biomass Utility in Carson, WA was on the hunt for greenhouse growers. Their goal of turning waste wood into heat and power meant that they'd need to team up with someone to use all that heat and power. Enter Elona Trogub and Ryan Crist. These two farmers decided to do their research on the latest Dutch greenhouse technologies and design a circular farming system that optimized the free sun and rain while minimizing labor and and dependence on fossil fuels and other unsustainable practices. It would grow both produce and fish. They came up with a design but it was going to cost well over $2M for the first acre. In 2019, Michael Hanna joined the team and the three received a pearl of wisdom - start with a minimum viable product. Demonstrate the system. Microgreens were a crop that had demand and Dave Goldring of NoBo Microfarms had been struggling to scale. The four of them joined forces to design and launch Gorge Greens, the first "smart-farming" and organic greenhouse of its kind.

They worked their buns off all fall and winter to get the greenhouse and its one-of-a-kind systems constructed and certified organic. The first seeds were planted March 1st, 2020. Their first harvest was March 16th - the day the country locked down due to a pandemic. No matter - Gorge Greens has persevered because these farmers are driven by the knowledge that at this most critical time of wide-spread illness - it is local, fresh, safe and nutrient-dense food that will help us through.

If you're not familiar with microgreens, they are the first leaves that a plant sprouts after busting out of the seedcoat and putting out its root system. These two leaves have to be really strong and withstand lots of predator and disease pressure. They are loaded with antioxidants and other powerful compounds meant to get the baby plant to its next stage of life - true leaf. Since we evolved eating plants, our bodies use plant compounds for the incredibly important and basic functions of healthy cell growth and repair as well as fighting off disease. What more concentrated and biologically available form of these compounds is there than the mighty microgreen?!

Gorge Greens blends are developed by a team of chefs, farmers, herbalists and engineers to support your body with energy and healthy compounds not often found in today's diet.

For more information on the larger system, watch this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPRiPCiepZQ

Gorge Greens is defined by its values.

🌱 Fresh
Every week, year-round, Gorge Greens harvests, packs and delivers to the Gorge Farmers Collective within 48 hours to give you the freshest, tastiest and most nutritious microgreens possible. They have a shelf life of up to two weeks from harvest as long as they're kept refrigerated. (If you see moisture accumulating in the package, add an extra paper towel or napkin in to the container.)

Organic 👩🏻‍🌾
The farm is Certified Organic through Oregon Tilth.

Just ✊
Workers are paid a living wage.

🌎 Conscious
At this time, our clamshells are made of Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) which is created when bacteria break down cellulose from corn or wood. This means that aside from the label (which makes a great sticker 😉), our container won't leave behind a legacy for the next generation to clean up. Our ziploc bags are easy to rinse and reuse. For that matter, our compostable clamshells are also easy to reuse and fit two halves of a burrito perfectly or a bagel sandwich perfectly.

Bioponic 💦
Unlike hydroponic greenhouses, the water system is bioponic, meaning it's biologically charged with a special probiotic tea. This allows for growing safer and healthier plants. The probiotic tea contains safe microorganisms that outcompete bad bugs for real estate. And our little starts get stronger with the aid of their biome buddies.

🌞 Sun Grown
Most microgreens are grown indoors under lamps. The only time lights are turned on at Gorge Greens are during the deep winter. Otherwise it's pure sunshine or cloudshine that powers these plants.