381: Elias Martinez on Indoor Farming without Barriers.

Witnessing the power of growing food for a community.


Elias grew up around urban farming & gardening in a rough part Miami called Opa-Lock-a. He is the son of immigrant parents who left Cuba & the Dominican Republic for political and opportunity reasons. As a child and teenager, he was introduced to urban farming and gardening by his grandfather, who fled Cuba during the Castro regime.

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Elias witnessed the power that growing food for the community can have after his mother presented neighbors with fresh fruits and vegetables grown in their garden. He started Kubed Root to create an ecosystem in which people can grow their own food and make money from it with little to no barriers to entry.  

In This Podcast:

It was both a desire to share the gardening experience his grandfather gave him, and the lack of space in his home for anything that could produce enough food for his family that prompted Elias Martinez to start dreaming of a way to provide fresh greens to those who did not have easy access to garden space. His natural inclination to innovate solutions has helped him create a plan for an EPIC style of community garden – indoors! He shares that and more with us.

Listen in and learn about:

    • Growing up in Florida with a grandfather who was a Cuban immigrant
    • Witnessing the power of building relationships with food
    • Learning how to farm and raise chickens with his grandfather
    • Wanting to teach his children to grow food and researching microgreens
    • Recognizing barriers to growing food indoors
    • Envisioning business models from the customer’s perspective
    • Designing a indoor community garden (EPIC call out!!)
    • Getting positive feedback
    • A design that is perfect for regions where half the year it is too cold to grow
    • Focusing on unused retails spaces
    • What microgreens are and why they are in demand
    • Growing food and sharing – building this farther

As well as:

His failure – A broken promise to build a garden for his daughters in time to grow for the season

His success – Earning his master’s degree, as well as his honorable discharge from the military

His drive – Innovation and efficiency

His advice – Don’t be afraid of failure

Elias’s Book recommendations:    

Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! By Robert T. Kiyasaki

How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

How to reach Elias: 

Website: www.kubedroot.com

Facebook: Farmers United

Social Media: @kubedroot

 

UrbanFarm.org/kubedroot


Note: You can also find these books mentioned above at one of our favorite local independent bookstores and know that you are supporting a small business.

*Disclosure:
Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you. 

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