S1E11: Alex Tyink - Fork Farms: Growing Food for Positive Change

Vertical Farming Podcast

Alex Tyink is the President of Fork Farms, an organization that started on the principle that growing fresh and healthy food is a vehicle for positive change in the world. It is their belief that having consistent access to the freshest, highest quality food is a human right. Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he and Alex discuss Alex’s unorthodox path to entrepreneurship, hydroponic farming and the impact Covid-19 has had on Alex’s business, Fork Farms.

Special thanks to our Season 1 Sponsor

IGS – https://intelligentgrowthsolutions.com/

Key Takeaways

02:54 – Alex expounds on the impact Covid-19 has had on his business, Fork Farms, and how he got involved in AgTech

13:02 – Where Alex got his entrepreneurial drive and motivation and Alex’s experience moving to NYC

20:12 – Alex breaks down the business model of Fork Farms, the curriculum package they offer and the idea behind Flex Farm

32:28 – What Alex has learned throughout his entrepreneurial journey in AgTech

37:55 – Challenges and obstacles Alex has had to overcome as he continues to grow his team and business

43:14 – Alex talks about what excites him the most about the future of Fork Farms, AgTech, and a tough question he had to ask himself recently

50:29 – Harry thanks Alex for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can connect and engage with Alex and Fork Farms

Tweetables:

“I started eating food that I was growing, and it completely changed my eating habits. I started eating better. I started feeling better. I started taking better care of myself.” (09:21)

“Labor efficiency and energy efficiency is really what we [Fork Farms] are all about.” (12:26)

“When I really started to dig into the industry, I learned how broken the food system really is. Sixty percent of all the food that we’re eating as Americans is ultra-processed. And we know – through all of these clinical studies – that ultra-processed food is directly linked to increase mortality due to all sorts of chronic diseases.” (18:25)

“I would say the majority of our growth as a company is organic.” (25:46)

“Every dime that we’ve made in the company we’ve put back into innovation. We are a for-profit company but we really act like a non-profit in a lot of ways. We have shareholders, but they understand what we’re trying to do and they’re willing to wait on the return in order to see something bigger than any one of us happen.” (33:08)

Links Mentioned:

Alex’s LinkedIn

Fork Farms Website

Fork Farms YouTube Channel

Fork Farms LinkedIn

Fork Farms Facebook

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