4 Reasons Why I'm Not Selling Microgreens Anymore

My main reasons for closing down my microgreen business. Selling microgreens can be rewarding but there are some things to consider..
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Thanks for watching!

[@caravanlifenz]

Great honest video. There are so many videos showing a small basement and the person claims he makes more growing microgreens than when he was working full-time as a professional, but then he tries to sell you his microgreens courses, books and so forth and it reveals where he really gets his income from.

[@kevgoes]

I completely understand what you're saying. Thanks so much for watching! I just subscribed to your channel!

[@JamesGough1]

A savvy businessman would look for multiple streams of income.

[@drnstjhn]

who in particular? you say so many. how many courses and books would someone have to sell every month to live off of that? a lot. no one is making a living selling microgreen books. just stop being a pessimist. the money is absolutely in it. the guy in this video says he was marketing to every day people. that makes literally zero sense. you can't blame it on the business

[@darylefleming1191]

Thanks m8. I like the honest review. This is something I know about a strict schedule.

[@kevgoes]

Thanks for watching!

[@timmytheimpaler1750]

I'm just starting a micro-greens business thank you for pointing out some negatives

[@kevgoes]

I just wanted to show some of the realities of the business. Good luck and thanks for watching!

[@AaronDoesIt]

Hi Kev I only found your videos yesterday! I am in the process on learning how to grow and set up my own microgreen business but now ive just watched this lol I will give it a go anyway, Im based in the UK and they arent as popular as they are over there but keep making microgreen vids ill be sure to watch them

[@kevgoes]

I hope you do really well with the business. Like I said I don't regret it. Thanks for your comment!

[@susanbutterfly9579]

Kev, I love this honest video. I've been thinking of growing for self use, thank you for explaining the process and time needed ❤

[@kevgoes]

One if the things about growing for self use vs commercial is that you can take a break from growing whenever you need to. I highly recommend it!

[@hanfo420]

There is also a lot you can do to automate things. Watering can be completely automated. And it’s not expensive if you fiddle around with Homeassistant and ESPHome. You still need to harvest tho.

[@kevgoes]

Water Automation is definitely a worth while consideration! I've used a flood table. It worked good once I had it calibrated. Unfortunately space and money were a factor at the time.

[@videorockson1]

Yes, I would like to see your videos for home use of microgreeens.

[@kevgoes]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@Chong760]

This business is certainly not for you my friend! And I would humbly disagree that it isn't a profitable business, because I am earning quite a large sum by serving 12 restaurants within my first year. I am now on my way to sell to grocery stores. Again it depends where you live and how you create, leverage, and expedite your business. Judging by what I saw in your video, your heart and soul just wasn't there! And that's okay! I wish you all the best finding that passion, Kev!

[@kevgoes]

I'm glad to hear of your success! I do hope it continues for you. I actually stayed away from restaurants at first. I was marketing to the home consumer for those who wanted to incorporate microgeens into their regular diet instead of just using them for garnish. All the best and thanks for watching!

[@billysewardgardening]

I watched 2 vids one giant gorilla micro green and another in toranto with low rise hydrofarm 4ft x 8ft trays 8 trays on one rack high with 80 trays in one area. yes they are killing it. however to get there you have to have that kind of capital

[@kevgoes]

@@billysewardgardening Agreed! You'd definitely need the capital, space, and the market for those operations.

[@Chong760]

@@billysewardgardening I actually spent around a grand to start, and my operation / production / grow space grew from there because I leveraged the business by putting every dollar I made back into the business. You actually don’t need to start with that kind of capital or warehouse etc. The cliche is you start small and build, which Kev in the video showed a great starting position.

[@CTNoles]

This Chong guy is a bit of an arrogant prick lol, geez man, you're really impressed with youself

[@bettypearson5570]

I played around with growing some micro greens but it wasn't something I wanted to consume much of and I know myself well enough that I don't want to work at sales and in this area it would need someone who truly enjoyed that aspect of the business. I am moving to my retirement farm in the next 6 months and once I get some of my small animals I will be going back to growing some for both myself and treats for the chickens and rabbits. But again, won't try selling them because it is a worse area for micro greens so again it would take a gifted sales person to develop the market. Some times it can take a while to develop the niche for yourself. Hope you continue to video the journey. I think once you find what works for you, you will also see your KZbin subscribers increase. Good luck.

[@kevgoes]

You definitely have to "sell" microgeens and some markets like mine can be a little saturated. One of my customers was a small animal rescue with rabbits amd other critters. They loved them! Good luck with the retirement farm. Sounds awesome! Thanks for the encouragement. I'll definitely keep making videos!

[@Apeman_Actual]

Thanks for the honest take on your experience! Earned a sub from me. 🙏 keep it up

[@kevgoes]

Thank you!

[@lyndhurstbodden]

I liked your video. I think most people don't realise the time commitment required when growing microgreens commercially and how difficult it would be to take a vacation if you're a one-person operation. It's probably the main reason that I wouldn't attempt it. However, I intend to grow them for my use and would share any excess with family and friends. It's certainly not a business for everyone, but some people do very well growing and selling them. It's all about the market for them in your area.

[@kevgoes]

Good luck in your growing!

[@IttyBittyMicroFarm]

😕Bummer to see that you're shutting it down, but totally understand your 'why' I'm glad to see that you're still keeping some of it going for personal use- Microgreens Literally Saved Our Health!! 🌱💚

[@kevgoes]

Yep. I put my time in but the health benefits of microgreens is the whole reason I started. Definitely going to keep consuming.

[@captainkim3643]

Yep those are the reasons why I quite too.

[@ourv9603]

Did you know the most profitable farm by area size in all the USA is an itty bitty backyard farm in urban Berkeley, Ca? What makes this tiny farm so profitable is they grow fancy salad greens in greenhouses for most of the top restaurants in San Francisco. !

[@kevgoes]

I believe it. Backyard farming is becoming a lost art.

[@DaPinto4]

I started about a year ago and I have had the same experience. Its becoming a lot more time consuming and not enough profit for the time you put in. There are other things i can be putting my time into that will bring me more profit. I don't enjoy the process anymore like i use to. I use to always enjoy growing and selling the product, but now its become more of a chore. Not saying these things to stop anyone, but these are good things to think about before starting a microgreen business. A lot of videos online only talk about how much you can make and how easy it is, but fail to talk about the negatives.

[@kevgoes]

Yep. This was how it got for me. I wasn't trying to discourage people either. Just wanted to give my honest experience. Thanks for watching!

[@oneshiftmexico2188]

With any business, you need to adjust to your market, become efficient at it, network, sell other things, have patience...eventually, it doesn't feel like a job.

[@kevgoes]

Agreed!

[@ThaweeOo]

I would like to know what you were charging for 2oz of your microgreens.

[@kevgoes]

At the 2oz level it was $5.50 - $7 depending on which microgreen it was. My customers mostly bought mixed packs in various sizing and price.

[@DeliberateCre8tor]

yeah this makes alot of sense. Just don't have full days after a full time job

[@IqraMusulmana]

Please explain us why selling to restaurants is not profitable?

[@kevgoes]

I found that it was not profitable for me in my market. Every market it different.

[@thelook87]

Did you ever try farmer's markets? If so how did it go? Thanks for the video!

[@kevgoes]

I did do farmers markets. Not the biggest profits but always a good time. It's a challenge to figure out how much to grow without having too much product left over.

[@AwakenRaziel369]

Don't shut it down. If the problem is keep the lights and the watering going just automatize both

[@davidjevis]

What are margins like manufacturing micro greens to sell to Restaurants??? You said the profit is low in b2b, but what were the Net profit on the sale per unit after Cost of Goods? And what was the majority of your run cost, because it seems profitable, maybe low volume what’s the margin percentage? And is the biggest cost in Logistics? Aka transport? Where’s the costs?

[@kevgoes]

Margins were decent. Cost per unit depended on which product I was selling. My restaurant market is quite saturated so it wasn't the majority of my business. As I mentioned that wasn't the market I was intending to focus on.

[@davidjevis]

@@kevgoes I understand, D2C food is competitive and marketing dependent, did you consider angling the business as a subscription model? Would you say the biggest limitation / bottle neck which turned you off growing was size of consumer base in your Geography? Or the business’ ability to cost effectively communicate your product toward your ideal consumer? Was it not scaleable due to CAC or logistics or production constraints or customer constraints? Did you spend a significant amount of time targeting Restaurants / chefs to no avail? I think if I did this business with micro greens and mushrooms I would target restaurants / hospitals / schools etc. Also could you give a ball park of the profit share on revenues - would you say 30-50% net profit on D2C revenue? I’d assume b2b profit is closer to 10-20% of revenue? Sorry for the loaded questions. I appreciate your time and consideration, Thanks for the reply, I wish you luck in your next venture!

[@kevgoes]

The business was 90% subscription based. Can't remember what the CAC was. Depended on time of year summer was the worst and Jan to beginning of May was best. Didn't spend a lot of time targeting restaurants as my original vision was D2C. Customers could be challenging to aquire. There are an amazing amount of people who don't know what microgreens are muchnl less how healthy they are. People do not like to change thier eating habits. Profit margins were around 20-30%. I wasn't losing money. It just wasn't enough income to keep me from doing other things . Thanks for watching!

[@AACultivators]

I grow microgreens and I have plenty of time to hunt doing hunting season and fish doing fishing season that's one of the problems owners of small business encounter they don't calculate into their price the salary of workers they calculate their price based on them doing the work that way they set their self up to fail

[@kevgoes]

Glad to hear that it's worked out for you! I agree it's easy to price yourself out of business. My prices were based on what others in my market were charging and I was too small to have employees. I gett to do alot of camping and fishing now though! 😂 Thanks for watching!

[@largefamilyreviews9]

would you like to sell some of your old stuff at a discount?

[@kevgoes]

Got rid of my stuff already thanks.

[@ermant1311]

a realistic video ! but I am not sure how if other people doing videos lying on profits because one guy who is popılar in you tube says with 1 rack you can make 500$ a week which sounds good but I am not sure really if this is for real or they say it like that to increase their visibilities in you tube

[@kevgoes]

I would say it is possible to make $500 per week on 1 full rack. That wouldn't be profit though. Soil, packaging, power, fuel if deliverying, and other overhead costs add up. You can grow quite alot on a rack but you also need the customers to buy them. It all depends on the market you are selling in and what you are able to charge.

[@ermant1311]

@@kevgoes he is also from US and I also watched couple more guys doing this and they dont really mention any difficulty to market these. But your video also makes sense because you are right that many people not aware of these products and selling to restaurants may not be easy that much. I am totally confused )

[@flintwithers8460]

If you live in a progressive city where people are trying to eat healthy and where there are a bunch of frufru restaurants then yes, you might be able to make it work. Meanwhile, out here in the country where people have no idea that you can eat baby plants, not so much

[@Farbulous007]

We do $10k per week in sales and have been profitable every year for over 5 years. Farmers markets for microgreens sales are way too much work and not profitable.

[@hanfo420]

just grow other, bigger, more valuable greens 😂

[@kevgoes]

🤣

[@AnenLaylle7023]

That takes talent. People who get into microgreens have no interest in farming. They just hear about how much money it makes and how easy it is. I am a university professor, but I farm organic produce market garden style on the side. It is very lucrative if you are growing high end produce. You have to learn a real talent to develop a profitable business. Growing leggy seedlings under grow lights is not exactly a skillset.

[@kevgoes]

@@AnenLaylle7023 wow. You must be really talented.. Unlike me ...Only growing leggy seedlings. Anyone could do it. Super easy. Takes no skill set to grow and sell Microgreens..You must know all about growing and selling microgreens from experience. Please share your great wisdom with us all about selling good microgreens that people will enjoy coming back for time and again.

[@AnenLaylle7023]

@@kevgoes Please explain to me the skillset required to grow microgreens.

[@hanfo420]

@@AnenLaylle7023 I don’t think we are talking about the same greens. The stuff I mean grows like weed and can be grown by anyone. It’s also very likely to be more cost efficient than buying it.

[@blackpearlmetal6319]

No work no reward. Your work ethic is different from others. As a professor you should know that. Also, some of your replies to commentors come off as sarcastic and show immaturity.

[@kevgoes]

I'm sorry. I don't think I said I was a professer. I may however have been intentionally sarcastic with one of the commentors. They were kind of rude so I'm ok with that...also...yes. I am can be a little immature at times.. I'm also ok with that. Thanks for watching.

[@AnenLaylle7023]

It takes absolutely no skill to grow microgreens. That is why there is no real money in it.

[@kevgoes]

You are entitled to your opinion. Thanks again for watching.

[@MsCmsh]

I don’t see how you can say “it takes absolutely no skill to grow microgreens.” It tells me you must have never grown anything!! It takes a lot more than you think!! Tks Kev for sharing your video and your outlook on your business!! Best of luck to whatever your next endeavor would be!! 🙏🙏😃

[@kevgoes]

@@MsCmsh Thanks so much! ❤️

[@oneshiftmexico2188]

That's a dumb! Yea, it doesn't take skill, but it takes effort, and if you have a market, then you can sell the product. It takes no skill to make a disgusting big Mac and fries, but there's a market of disgusting people that love that crap 😂😂😂

[@MRosati5000]

It takes skilland energy.@@kevgoes

[@acausetotravel]

Right from the start this was the wrong decision for you because you were pursuing it for money instead of the love of growing food. You can make as much money as you want with this and any other product or service depending on your level of business acumen. I know people who make 6 figures doing this and I make a decent income as well. You're just not a business person maybe but don't say it's the microgreens. it's you!!!

[@kevgoes]

I think you didn't listen to the reasons I was doing this in the beginning of the video. Truthfully I do love growing food. I have an outdoor garden every year. Before I started growing for profit I grew microgreens for about a year. For the enjoyment and my own consumption. Which I still do. I even made a video when I grew my first batch. Every market is different. I may not be the best business person but I can assure you no one in my neck of the woods is doing 6 figure proft off microgreens (not a big enough city).. And yes it is me. I could have kept going for sure but this wasn't earning me enough to keep me from doing other things in life which I enjoy (as I mentioned in the video). Now I just grow when I feel like it. I do appreciate your comment and I'm glad you're able to do well for yourself.

[@user-od1fo3lj4q]

lol you thought a couple of shelves with T5's would grow you enough salad to be your full time job?

[@kevgoes]

I'm not sure that's what I said here. 🤔

[@JohnSmith-zc5ox]

I would have to agree with you. Looks like two racks and some wine. Sounds like he was on the cusp of making it, but it was too much work. He could have paid someone to come in twice a day and water to take time off and pay the person instead of taking the profit.