We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Josephine Parker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Josephine, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
I originally started gardening during the pandemic like many other people. At first, I was just going for it to see where I would land, lol. One day, I was baking banana peppers fresh from my garden for the first time. I stuffed them with buffalo chicken dip and THEY WERE SO GOOD. When I was done eating, I said out loud “I should have gotten more banana peppers.” That’s when it hit me… I could get more because I got them from my backyard! That is when it all started for me, after that I became obsessed with gardening and growing my food. I began to learn about pesticides and herbicides and how they are destroying our bodies. From there I researched the different types of nutrient-dense foods and that is when I came across microgreens. As someone who struggled with getting daily nutrition, I felt it was time to add microgreens to my diet. I began growing microgreens for my family and I, and eventually I found out that people were interested in buying them because they can’t find microgreens in the store. I had family members who were already part of the Bradenton Market at that time and they encouraged me to speak to the manager, Heather. I am forever grateful to Heather, she took me on in a heartbeat because they were looking for a microgreen vendor. That changed everything for me and I never looked back. I enjoy growing microgreens and helping people meet their nutritional goals. It wasn’t until the end of last year that I decided to install edible gardens. The need is there, people want to eat better, and that is why I am here. I love what I do and I love to share the knowledge that I have with others. I can’t see myself doing anything else.
Josephine, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Gardening is my industry and it all started during the pandemic. I sell a variety of microgreens that are grown indoors, herbicide-free, pesticide-free, and pest-free, I also do edible garden consultations and installation. I am dedicated to helping my customers reach their nutritional goals and grow a greener thumb. I love showing customers that you don’t have to have a ton of land to grow your food and you don’t need to plant in the ground to grow your food. I started my gardening journey with containers and buckets, lol. What makes me the most proud is that I kept gardening. I hit many roadblocks as a new gardener, however, I was determined. If I had given up on gardening I would have never started growing microgreens. My business is truly a labor of love and I would do all again to get to where I am.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I can confidently say it was Realize Bradenton. They run the Bradenton Market, they are the best. They do advertising for you, social media posts, etc. I have gotten most of my clientele from being at the market.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I funded my own business. I knew that if I could buy enough equipment for one main rack I would be able to grow in multiple cycles. The initial capital for me was around $2000.00.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.JoGrows.com
- Instagram: @JoGrowsLocal
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/JoGrows-100086524329069/
- Other: TikTok: @jogrowslocal