The career-shifting tractor moment that led to our newest product

June 9, 2021 • Zack Andrade

In 2016, I sat on a tractor, looking at a field of broccoli we’d just harvested. The florets were gone, but the leaves and stalks were still there — a forest of perfectly nutritious food that would get tilled back into the dirt simply because it didn’t look the part. All that work and food, wasted.

Not long after (and once again, on a tractor), I looked at a field of perfectly good beets whose buyer had fallen through. I had no energy in my tank to rescue it. All that work and food, wasted.

 

The “powder project”

Then a company asked me to farm collard greens for what they called a “powder project.” I had no idea what a powder project was.

They introduced me to nutraceuticals: products or substances that are used for nutrients and which provide a physiological benefit. The collard greens would be harvested — completely harvested, every part of the plant — dried, and ground into a fine powder to be used in supplements, functional foods, smoothies, snacks, and even pet food.

It blew me away that this industry existed. I loved the idea, but right away I could see it wasn’t utilizing the highest quality products. Because they’re categorized as food additives and dietary supplements under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, nutraceuticals are almost entirely unregulated by the FDA. As such, the powders adhered only to the lowest possible standards; none of them were organically certified, non-GMO, Kosher, or Halal. Neither were they purely vegetables: more often than not they contained anti-caking agents and processing aids. A pure expression of stem- or seed-to-shelf simply did not exist.

An idea started to form in my mind. What if we started our own high-quality, organic powder business using scraps from harvested fields and veggies that we can’t sell? The benefits could be staggering: minimized waste and a new income stream for the farm, less greenhouse gas emissions from vegetable matter, and more nutrients for the consumer. Win-win-win.

 

Starting from scratch

Of course, developing something brand new requires creativity. I had to look at other industries and piecemeal innovations to create my own supply chain to receive this incredibly nutritious product which, for whatever reason, was deemed unacceptable for the fresh market. (I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: a vegetable’s only responsibility is to be nutritious, not pretty. People have really lost sight of that.) I had to borrow from the mechanical farming industry and contend with principal players like China and India, whose powders, paperwork, method and quality are questionable. To keep raw product costs down, I looked at the technology of the juice and puree industries, as well as the algae drying industry. I wanted the purest expression of the field, with nothing added, and nothing taken away.

At a certain point, we had to burn the ships behind us and go all in. It’s taken six years of scheming, researching, and dreaming, and the day is finally here:

 

Say hello to BoomVeg

BoomVeg is fresh vegetable powder, made from organic produce grown on our farms. That's it. It’s an easy way to add flavor, vitamins, and minerals to your day.

BoomVeg is its own company separate from Spinaca Farms, though Spinaca will be one of the farms that supplies raw product for BoomVeg. (In fact, Spinaca has a wholesale powders business that’s going gangbusters. The factory space can’t contain all the orders we get for Spinaca powders.)

The uses for BoomVeg are many: boom whatever you want! Boom your meatloaf, your spaghetti sauce, your water bottle, your morning smoothie. We’ve created a product so clean, 10 grams or two teaspoons equals roughly a half-pound of vegetables — that’s two servings based on the USDA serving guide.

Now parents can feel like superheroes because they can mix a serving or two of BoomVeg into a hamburger patty or macaroni and cheese, and kids won’t even know they’re there. And they can feel good knowing it’s pure veg: no weird artificial ingredients that change the consistency or mouthfeel. BoomVeg is incredibly soluble in water and clean in flavor, not off-putting. After they boom a meal, parents realize they just got their kids to eat beets and celery, no arguing or coercion required.

 

Good for the field, good for the farmer

We’re now in a position to consume everything we produce, and to consume the overages and market walkby of our network of farmers, too. Plus, a newly-forged income stream raises our prices at the farmgate level.

We’ll be launching later this month, and holding some pop-up events where people come out and see for themselves how truly remarkable these fresh powders are. Until then, have a look at boomveg.com to subscribe to the newsletter, get access to coupons, and find ideas for how to boom your world.

Eat your veggies—easier now than ever before!

 

— From the Spinaca Farms blog