Harnessing Hands On Training and Market Expertise to Build a Successful Business
After working with the AmplifiedAg team to design the farm site, Pure Farms was achieving high-yielding harvests almost immediately
Pure Farms harnessed AmplifiedAg’s extensive farm training and market expertise to become vertical farm ready, and as a result achieves consistent high-quality yields that helped catapult their rapid success.
- Operating one AmpVPS and two AmpNFT farms
- Harvesting up to 6 oz. Romaine and 5.25 oz. Butter
- Growing 8 types of leafy greens, microgreens, and herbs
- 21-24 day grow cycles
“Container Farms Seemed To Be The Most Predictable”
Pure Farms is a Wisconsin-based container farm, family owned and operated by Mike and Linda Graf and Thomas Grams. Mike began his journey in controlled environment agriculture because he wanted to bring fresh, healthy produce to the Wisconsin area without the environmental ramifications.
As a successful entrepreneur, Mike said he “wanted to start with something that was small-scale that could grow over time, and container farms seemed to be the most predictable.”
He traveled around the U.S. and beyond looking at alternative farming methods, analyzing the different types of growing practices and their yield potential. “I looked at different container farms from Canada to Belgium, and visited several greenhouses. However, greenhouses have a lot of things you can’t control, and some of the container farms couldn’t grow plants as big as they said they could.”
But on a trip to South Carolina, Mike visited AmplifiedAg and his confidence in container farming amplified.
Pure Farms Grows 8 Varieties of Lettuce and Herbs
“We changed our seed varieties a few times at first to get the exact mix we wanted. Today, we easily harvest 1,000 to 1,100 pounds every time on a 21-24 day cycle.” Romaine yields on average 4.5 to 6 ounces per head, and Green Butter averages 4 to 5.25 ounces.
The predictable, consistent harvests are a result of AmplifiedAg’s high performing technology combined with the extensive farm training Mike and his team did to become vertical farm ready.
Romaine
Butter
Frisée
Oakleaf
Microgreens
Cilantro
Parsley
Basil
Real Farm Training and Market Consultation Launched Pure Farms For Success
In the months leading up to the farm launch, Pure Farms Partner and Head Grower Thomas (and Mike’s son-in-law) worked with Grant Anderson at Better Fresh Farms in Metter, Georgia, another AmplifiedAg farming partner. Thomas also spent two weeks at AmplifiedAg’s large-scale farm in Columbia, South Carolina training alongside the Vertical Roots farm team experiencing everything from growing to packaging and distribution.
“Grant’s help at Better Fresh Farms was monumental in getting us going, and we learned so many farming practices and techniques at AmplifiedAg that were very valuable to us.”
Beyond the operational farm training, Pure Farms harnessed AmplifiedAg’s wholesale and retail market expertise for sales forecasting. “AmplifiedAg knows the market from experience, and they helped us with predicting what types of produce customers are going to order and when.”
Scaling A Modern Family Farm and Delivering Quality Produce
“What matters to me most is the quality of the product and the customer service we provide. We are constantly receiving positive feedback and growing our customer base because of it.”
In operation for less than one year, Pure Farms is set to expand in 2023 and 2024 to increase capacity for leafy greens and also add mushrooms to the mix. “Our goal over the next three to five years is to have a number of different container farms growing a variety of plants, and also add greenhouses for other vining and flowering produce.”
With Mike at the helm as the farm’s strategy and sales leader, Thomas as head grower, and Mike’s wife and daughter assisting with business, Mike’s vision is to expand the local family farm that blends different modern growing techniques – powered by AmplifiedAg nonetheless – to serve the needs of the Wisconsin region.
Bringing A Lifetime Achievement of Food Packaging to the Farm
Mike brings his depth of knowledge in food safe packaging and renewable energy practices to Pure Farms.
He is recognized for his lifetime achievement as founder of world-class manufacturing company Letterhead Press, Inc. (LPI), which has served some of the country’s most notable brands with high-end packaging and holograms including National Geographic, General Mills, Kraft Foods, and more.
Mike is credited as an evolutionary leader for the industry where he instituted many environmentally conscious and food-safe practices for LPI, including Safe Quality Food (SQF) certification (the highest food safety standards in packaging production), the installation of 10th largest array of solar panels in the state of Wisconsin which reduced electrical consumption 35%, and a waste program that that resulted in 98% of everything that came in their doors either went out as good product or recycled product.
Learn more about Pure Farms.