Agriculture has always been referred to as the backbone of the Indian economy. As the population grows so does consumer demand for better and higher quality produce. Consumers are becoming more concerned with their health and eating habits. Hence, players in the urban farms are expected to offer chemical-free, pesticide-free, preservative-free and highly nutritious farm produce. The availability of such fresh and nutritious products, which lead towards a sustainable and healthy lifestyle, is the basic need of the urban consumers.
With a vision to build a robust future towards farming practices and providing high-quality nutritious produce, Ecoponic Agri Tech (EAT.) is invested in creating a sustainable and a healthier society. They offer freshly harvested agricultural products throughout the belt of Kolkata. The company's commercial size indoor-vertical hydroponic farm gives them a higher yield per square foot compared to traditional agriculture. This approach also results in zero post-harvest loss and saves 96 percent water compared to traditional practices.
"We have been able to target modern trade, online/offline retail, hotels, restaurants, cafes for distribution along with door-to-door delivery. In addition to all of this, another vertical of live oxygenating indoor plants, adds to our brand vision of providing a healthier future for generations to come. We grow all our produce hydroponically using NFT and other hydroponic systems while maintaining an average temperature of 22 degrees throughout the year.
The controlled environment helps assure consistent quality throughout the year," says Piyush Jain, Founder of the company.
"We only use the best quality non- GMO seeds, while controlling other variants like carbon dioxide, light, nutrients, humidity, etc, making our products high in nutrition and full of taste. We are truly aiming to offer a farm to fork experience to our customers and this farm is the first step towards it," he adds.
Offering Premium Quality Nutritionally Rich Agri Products
Under the brand name of EAT., the company has about 20 hydroponic products that include different lettuces, microgreens, herbs, cherry tomatoes, etc. The company has been consistently researching, improving and introducing new products in the market to feed the masses with nutritional-rich agri products. Ecoponic has recently added lemon balm to its product list which is a citrusy mint-like leaf (a twist to the traditional mint leaf ). With the company's robust methodologies, the products have a longer shelf life as it is harvested, packed and delivered on the same day.
"The commercial size of the indoor farm gives us the added advantage to fulfill the daily requirements and makes our products affordable for our customers. Our farm is only a 45-minute drive from the main city which allows us to give our customers premium quality products on a daily basis. Our products are also available throughout Kolkata unlike other companies that are generally hyperlocal," highlights Piyush.
The commercial size of the indoor farm gives us the added advantage to fulfill the daily requirements and makes our products affordable for our customers
Apart from hydroponic farming another vertical that the company is known for is live indoor plants. These live indoor plants are available at multiple retail stores across the city and are also available for bulk orders for corporate gifting and will be soon available for door-to-door delivery.
“EAT. was born with sheer love and promise of giving everyone and myself a healthier future,” says Piyush.
With its tagline 'For a Healthier Future', the company is heavily invested in creating a farm to fork experience for their customers. Moving forward, Ecoponic is introducing new products and verticals such as organic fruits and vegetables to its product list.
The team currently is at the testing phase of growing strawberry and saffron hydroponically, which will allow them to provide their customers with the same throughout the year in all seasons.
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