Food technologists Snehal Ambekar and Sayak Gupta have designed an automated cultivator for growing microgreens, focusing on sustainability. Their venture, SS AgriQulture Innovations, is using the Half-Inch Garden to promote awareness about the sustainable benefits of nutrient-dense microgreens. This innovative solution highlights eco-friendly farming practices while encouraging sustainable, healthy food choices.

Growing indoor plants in bustling cities like Mumbai can be a daunting task, where space is limited and maintaining a garden can seem impossible.

Snehal Ambekar (22), a Mumbai resident, experienced these challenges firsthand when she attempted to grow microgreens at home. “We often do not have balconies to cultivate plants, and they require a lot of care, which becomes tough with our busy lives. My experiments failed due to issues like mould formation, and I was determined to find a simpler, more efficient way to grow them,” she shares.

In her quest to solve this problem, Snehal met Sayak Gupta (22) while pursuing a BTech in Food Technology, Entrepreneurship, and Management at the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management – Kundli (NIFTEM-K) in Haryana. Together, they were inspired to create innovative solutions for urban gardening, driven by the idea of making it easier for everyone to enjoy the benefits of fresh, homegrown microgreens.

Snehal personal challenges with growing microgreens, combined with Sayak passion for innovation and their shared knowledge from their course, inspired them to develop an automated cultivator designed to help people “grow your own vitamins.”

In 2023, food technologists Snehal Ambekar and Sayak Gupta created the Half Inch Garden, a portable, soilless microgreens cultivator through their venture, SS AgriQulture Innovations. What makes this cultivator unique is that it does not require traditional seeds. Instead, it uses seed patches made from agricultural waste, offering an eco-friendly solution for growing microgreens.

Driven by their shared passion for sustainability and innovation, the duo is now on a mission to make growing nutrient-rich superfoods convenient and accessible for everyone. Here how their inspiring journey began.

A Life Transformed: From Health Struggles to Growing Superfoods

At just 17, Snehal Ambekar faced a series of debilitating health challenges. She felt dizzy when standing up, experienced blackouts, brain fog, sleep disturbances, arthritis, and an overwhelming sense of fatigue. Her condition was so severe that she became bedridden, unable to focus on her studies or even leave the house.

This all unfolded during the early days of the pandemic. Given that some of her symptoms resembled those of COVID-19, her parents had her tested for the virus. When the test came back negative, her doctor recommended a thorough blood checkup, including tests for thyroid, diabetes, iron, serum creatinine, Vitamin B12, D, B9, and more. The results were startling—Snehal was severely nutritionally deficient.

The teenager was taken aback. “I ate home-cooked vegetarian meals, followed a healthy diet, and exercised regularly. I was young, healthy—how could I have a vitamin deficiency? I was in disbelief,” Snehal recalls.

This diagnosis revealed an often-overlooked aspect of nutrition: the possibility of deficiencies even in seemingly healthy diets. On top of this, Snehal was also diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal disorder that further complicated her health.

“I was taking more than 10 pills a day,” recalls the Mumbai resident, who was prescribed various medications to address different vitamin deficiencies and advised to completely revamp her diet, exercise, and lifestyle.

Determined to regain her health, Snehal immersed herself in research to identify nutrient-dense foods that could support a healthier life. During this time, she discovered microgreens as one of the most powerful superfoods. Little did she know that, just four years later, she would be co-founding a startup focused on microgreens with her classmate, Sayak Gupta!

Sayak shared Snehals deep passion for nutrition and wanted to create a product that would make essential nutrients easily accessible to people in the comfort of their homes.

“Traditionally, India has focused mostly on protein, often neglecting micronutrients. Vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients are just as important and beneficial to our health. We tend to rely on supplements and medications to meet these needs, but nothing compares to real food, which delivers lasting results,” Sayak explains.

He further illustrates the power of microgreens: “For example, beetroot microgreens, which are just one to two inches tall and weigh only 30 grams, can provide the same amount of vitamins as half a kilogram of beetroot. These tiny plants truly pack a punch.”

Sayak explains that microgreens are packed with significantly more nutrients than their mature vegetable counterparts. To highlight the numerous benefits of microgreens, Dr. Akshat Chadha, a general physician specializing in lifestyle medicine, outlines their advantages:

“Most microgreens are rich in iron, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, selenium, magnesium, manganese, antioxidants, and Vitamin E. They are an excellent addition to any diet,” says Dr. Chadha.

Revolutionizing Urban Farming: The Half Inch Garden Cultivator

While growing microgreens is not a new concept, traditional methods often prove time-consuming and space-consuming.

Working on a tech-to-table model, Snehal and Sayak began developing their idea during college. Their first major success came in January 2023 when they won Rs 1 lakh at IIT Bombays prestigious business model competition, Eureka. With this prize money, they began developing the prototype for their innovative cultivator, the Half Inch Garden. “Its a garden that fits perfectly on your dining table or coffee table,” says Sayak.

Over the past year and a half, the duo has secured over Rs 18 lakh in grants from various esteemed institutions, including the Massive Earth Foundation, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), IIT Roorkee, and IIM Kashipur. Their startup is also recognized by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), a central government body.

The Half Inch Garden is a soilless, automated cultivator that comes with unique seed patches. These patches, made from biodegradable fibers and agricultural waste like banana fiber, serve as the growing medium for microgreens. “The sheet itself acts as a growing medium, providing essential nutrients. There are no pesticides required. We have formulated and manufactured this sheet,” Sayak explains.

The cultivator uses hydroponic technology and features a grow light that mimics the suns wavelength. Additionally, it includes two exhaust fans to circulate airflow and an automatic irrigation system, making it a hassle-free and efficient way to grow fresh, healthy microgreens at home.

Effortless Microgreens with the Half Inch Garden: Simple, Sustainable, and Convenient

“All you have to do after getting the machine is fill the water container with two and a half liters of water, place four seed patches in the slots, switch it on, and forget about it! In just five to eight days, your harvest will be ready,” says Snehal.

The seed sheets are designed with a specific moisture content, and water is transported to the sheets via capillary action through a rope, explains Sayak.

After seven prototypes, the duo has finalized their design and plans to begin production soon. They have successfully tested and validated eight varieties of microgreens, including beetroot, broccoli, green mustard, chia, clover, and wheatgrass.

They intend to launch the automated cultivator next month. “We plan to offer it on a subscription basis. The machine will come with four seed patches, and after that, customers can purchase additional patches separately,” says Snehal.

Their goal is to integrate microgreens into the daily diet of Indians. “Eat your vitamins before you have to start taking supplements,” Snehal advises.

Edited by Gayathri