Urban Seed-To-Sales Farm Offers Fresh and Flavorful Local Produce

Nouveau Farms is a seed-to-sales urban farm, connecting people in Richmond to local food by selling fresh herbs, greens, and strawberries directly to consumers, grocery stores, restaurants, and distributors. Their two locations include an indoor farm within the city of Richmond, as well as a 7 acre farm in Varina, VA. They use hydroponic farming techniques and modern growing operations to produce high quality produce that will be delivered within 24 hours of harvest.

Nouveau Farms uses technology to grow pesticide free produce – delivering it within 24 hours of harvest. They focus on growing varieties of produce that maximize flavor and aroma, versus the big farmers that focus on production and shelf life. They live in the community that they serve, often eating at the same restaurants and shopping at the same stores as their customers. They solicit feedback regularly and refine their produce by introducing different varieties and modifying their process/operations. They are also a minority-owned startup company.

During this time, owner Trevor Ferguson wishes his business were well established enough to help meet the needs of the community. If able, he would be providing free produce to people in need while also meeting the needs of his customers. COVID-19 reinforced the need to have localized food production and distribution, and Trevor believes we need to have food security for ourselves to not be so reliant on imports.

All local businesses need to be supported through purchases and feedback from the community. Local farmers need their products to be purchased regularly. The products that farmers produce are perishable, and if it isn't purchased, any potential income will be lost. The community can support Nouveau Farms by purchasing produce, advocating that restaurants and grocery stores use and sell their products, and by providing feedback or sharing their story with friends and family. If that occurs, Trevor believes he can continue providing quality produce grown for flavor and aroma at a cost that is on par with imports.

Over the next 12 months, Nouveau Farms plans to complete and open the Varina location and hire 3 full-time employees. Following that, they plan on introducing their in-house line of wines.

Trevor grew up in the Bahamas where he had a number of fruit trees in his backyard. He was truly living the concept of harvest direct-to-table. In this scenario, connection to food and the quality is unmatched. Later, Trevor moved to Richmond, VA and wanted to get that connection back. There are other local farms that attempt to meet that need, but are at a premium and therefore not as accessible as Trevor felt they should be. He started in his garage and eventually developed a viable business. Visit Nouveau Farms’ website to learn more about them: https://www.nouveaufarms.com/.