Farm.One: A story of revival

In 2015, Laing found inspiration in the world of rare produce, herbs, and flowers and sought a way to discover and access them outside of highly stylized restaurants. 
Credit: Farm One.

“I thought, wouldn’t it be great to use this new technology of vertical farming to bring these kinds of interesting products to the market and grow them locally? I started the company primarily focused on growing the most unusual and hard-to-find products. New York is one of the best food cities, but chefs often bring in produce from other states across the US, which tends to be less fresh than locally grown produce. Vertical farming allows you to grow right next to where people consume the product, and allows you to grow very fresh crops year round. I was really attracted initially to the potential of supplying these high quality, rare, and delicate things to my community,” says Laing. “There are so many different cultures that exist here in New York City, and we want to support and represent that diversity. When growing these unique herbs, we help to create more space and recognition for the breadth of cultural cuisine in the city.”

Farm.One’s original facility in Tribeca was quite small, and was solely providing produce to restaurants in the city. 

When the pandemic hit, Laing and his team were forced to reevaluate their business model. With their primary clientele closing their doors, Farm.One turned to their community to provide herbs and greens direct to consumers. Covid was a turning point for many people, who likewise felt the global shift impacting their relationship to their food sources and motivated them to make more intentional choices as consumers. Farm.One’s subscription service tends to attract people who are keen home cooks and are eager to work with fresh ingredients on the same day they were harvested, straight from the farm.
Credit: Farm One.

Unfortunately, Farm.One continued to struggle to stay afloat amidst the pandemic, and in February 2022, Laing made the difficult decision to close the farm, laying off the entire team and being left with a warehouse full of equipment. In the final hour, Derek Pitts, with deep experience in restructuring, capital markets, M&A, and organizational transition as Founder and Managing Partner of DK-Bell Holding, came along, saw the important potential in Farm.One’s mission, and made an investment towards reopening their doors. 

Continue reading.

Header Photo Credit: Farm One.

Source: