Road Trip

[Elyse Schmitt]

Hello!

My name is Elyse and I am a student at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania - I have done a lot of research on aquaponics and even worked on a system that was very successful.  My job this summer is to continue my research with market analysis and commercial aquaponics systems.  I am going on a road trip throughout the Midwest and I am in need of some help for locations to stop.  I am looking for successful aquaponics commercial companies to take guided tours and talk with the people there about their innovations as well as how they got started and other questions along those lines. 

 

So far my destinations include: Sweet Water Organic, (Milwaukee, WI), Growing Power (Milwaukee, WI) and The Plant (Chicago, IL).  I am considering stoping at Nelson Pade, but that is to be decided by my Professor.  Please let me know if you have any suggestions!! Thanks!

[TCLynx]

Can I also recommend "We Grow Dreams" outside of Chicago.

 

Unfortunately, you say you are looking for Successful aquaponics commercial companies.  Does this mean you are needing to find pure aquaponic commercial operations that are actually making enough money from sales of their produce/fish to break even?

 

I don't think any of the operations you have listed are doing that.  (well I don't know "The Plant" in Chicago.)  Sweetwater has been getting funding and I don't know if they have manged enough income to even pay the electric bill doing aquaponics indoors under artificial lighting.  Growing Power also gets funding and they are not pure aquaponics though I do think their operation is a good thing.  I don't actually know if Nelson and Pade is actually making a living off of sales of produce/fish, I had the impression that they were more a training/education facility as well as selling systems but I could be wrong.

 

Even the one I suggested "We Grow Dreams" gets funding and the aquaponics is only a tiny portion of their operation but Philip Wolf is a member here and you might talk to him if you would like a guided tour at "We Grow Dreams."

[Earl ward]

you could stop and see my operation The New Victory Garden in Gary IN. We are in the start up phase, our address is on the order information on our website: www.aquaponics-thenewvictorygarden.com

[Earl ward]

The Plant, last I heard is still looking for funding.

TCLynx said:

Can I also recommend "We Grow Dreams" outside of Chicago.

 

Unfortunately, you say you are looking for Successful aquaponics commercial companies.  Does this mean you are needing to find pure aquaponic commercial operations that are actually making enough money from sales of their produce/fish to break even?

 

I don't think any of the operations you have listed are doing that.  (well I don't know "The Plant" in Chicago.)  Sweetwater has been getting funding and I don't know if they have manged enough income to even pay the electric bill doing aquaponics indoors under artificial lighting.  Growing Power also gets funding and they are not pure aquaponics though I do think their operation is a good thing.  I don't actually know if Nelson and Pade is actually making a living off of sales of produce/fish, I had the impression that they were more a training/education facility as well as selling systems but I could be wrong.

 

Even the one I suggested "We Grow Dreams" gets funding and the aquaponics is only a tiny portion of their operation but Philip Wolf is a member here and you might talk to him if you would like a guided tour at "We Grow Dreams."

[Elyse Schmitt]

Thanks for your help - in successful I mean operations that have taken the initative to sell their produce and maintain customers.  I understand it may take many years to break even.  My goal is not to visit hobby aquaponics systems rather systems with a business plan as well as a marketing strategy.  Thank you for your help and I will looking into We Grow Dreams.  Thanks again!

 

Elyse

TCLynx said:

Can I also recommend "We Grow Dreams" outside of Chicago.

 

Unfortunately, you say you are looking for Successful aquaponics commercial companies.  Does this mean you are needing to find pure aquaponic commercial operations that are actually making enough money from sales of their produce/fish to break even?

 

I don't think any of the operations you have listed are doing that.  (well I don't know "The Plant" in Chicago.)  Sweetwater has been getting funding and I don't know if they have manged enough income to even pay the electric bill doing aquaponics indoors under artificial lighting.  Growing Power also gets funding and they are not pure aquaponics though I do think their operation is a good thing.  I don't actually know if Nelson and Pade is actually making a living off of sales of produce/fish, I had the impression that they were more a training/education facility as well as selling systems but I could be wrong.

 

Even the one I suggested "We Grow Dreams" gets funding and the aquaponics is only a tiny portion of their operation but Philip Wolf is a member here and you might talk to him if you would like a guided tour at "We Grow Dreams."

[Earl ward]

then that would incude mine

[Dino Pantelidis]

Hey TC Lynx; Im fairly new to aquaponics and have been spenting quite abit of time both on the practical day-to-day and the business outlook of things. I currently am in the restaurant business, I own 2 fairly small full-service restaurants, both have been around for 25 years+ with just over 2 million in sales (they are very small, 8 table restaurants with extremely high turnover) I have been thinking about getting into aquaponics commercially, more so now than ever. I have attended the friendly's training and would like to think I can start-up small and go from there.

 

Judging from the commodity prices of the products in Toronto, Canada for example and plugging in the costs of doing business, rate of growth for the product etc. etc. I see positive cash flow. I could be doing something very wrong here, I'd love to hear your opinions on the commercial aspect of aquaponics. I have restaurants and wholesalers alike ready to purchase the product(s) and I have done my math based on an indoor enviroment with artificial light @ current hydro rates. The question is why arent any of these above mentioned facilities making any money? From what I have gathered, friendly's has done quiet well on the island and I dont see why cold-climate enviroments cant make this work?

 

I realize the investment wont be small, but neither is a restaurant. A Friend of mine just opened his doors and spent just shy of 500k and (if) he is lucky he will see 6-8% working 7 days a week!

 

I'd love to hear your ideas, and learn from your opinions!

 

Cheers,

Dino

Elyse Schmitt said:

Thanks for your help - in successful I mean operations that have taken the initative to sell their produce and maintain customers.  I understand it may take many years to break even.  My goal is not to visit hobby aquaponics systems rather systems with a business plan as well as a marketing strategy.  Thank you for your help and I will looking into We Grow Dreams.  Thanks again!

 

Elyse

TCLynx said:

Can I also recommend "We Grow Dreams" outside of Chicago.

 

Unfortunately, you say you are looking for Successful aquaponics commercial companies.  Does this mean you are needing to find pure aquaponic commercial operations that are actually making enough money from sales of their produce/fish to break even?

 

I don't think any of the operations you have listed are doing that.  (well I don't know "The Plant" in Chicago.)  Sweetwater has been getting funding and I don't know if they have manged enough income to even pay the electric bill doing aquaponics indoors under artificial lighting.  Growing Power also gets funding and they are not pure aquaponics though I do think their operation is a good thing.  I don't actually know if Nelson and Pade is actually making a living off of sales of produce/fish, I had the impression that they were more a training/education facility as well as selling systems but I could be wrong.

 

Even the one I suggested "We Grow Dreams" gets funding and the aquaponics is only a tiny portion of their operation but Philip Wolf is a member here and you might talk to him if you would like a guided tour at "We Grow Dreams."

[TCLynx]

hay Dino,

    Keep in mind I am not in such a climate and have never run a commercial Aquaponics system.  What I write here is only opinion based on probably too limited information.

 

Anyway, I've not said that those operation's can't make money (and perhaps Growing power is doing well but they are not for profit same as sweetwater I think.)  Anyway, To make a go of Commercial Aquaponics you need more business sense than Aquaponics sense I think.  Ya gotta have a good market for your products and the Aquaponics operations that are doing well are in a good nitche (like Friendlies on an Island where there is minimal Local food) or growing specialty items for restaurants and so on.  If you just automatically jump in and invest in a system to grow lettuce and basil and try to compete with the big truck farms and sell to the large chain grocery stores (when you are not on an Island at least) you may have a real challenge.  As in you really need to do the business research first to know if it can do it.

 

Sounds like you may have the business sense.  Keep in mind that selling fish on a very small scale may be a challenge and local regulations for handling, transporting and processing fish will come into play (but perhaps selling live fish to small specialty restaurants could be worth it.) Selling specialty produce to CSA and Restaurants may well be a good niche.

I can't say much about the cost balance.  I do know that growing indoors does require lots more lighting than most people think.  If using Florescents you need lighting to be pretty much the same footprint as the growing area and movable to keep lights as close to plants as possible.  High intensity lighting will usually provide light for the same footprint for about the same wattage and heat output total and have far better penetration for large plants.  (I have some fixtures that are a 2' by 4' size and they use 216 watts.  With a 400 watt MH lamp I could probably easily cover a 4' by 4' area and I could grow far more variety under it.  The 2' by 4' florescent fixture is really only good over plants of all nearly the same size cause you need the tubes to be less than 3" from the leaves.  Worked well for lettuce.)

 

Anyway, If you got a business plan and can afford to do it and start out small with a test system (a test system is a good idea for many reasons that Friendlies has been listing in their newsletters) and build from there I see no reason why you can't grow as you find your market.