Student creative energy is notoriously high across the UMass Amherst campus. Forging and fostering collaborations across majors and departments is our norm. That creative energy came to a head recently, at the Berthiaume Center’s Innovation Challenge competition.
Stockbridge student Alex Ayanian won the competition with his professional pitch for the food production company he founded and built with 3 other students: Supreme Microgreens.
Microgreens and Supreme Microgreens
Microgreens are the seedlings of salad vegetables, such as Swiss chard, mustard, arugula, and beatroot, picked just after the first leaves appear. Grown in trays, these hearty inch-tall plants are a nutritional powerhouse, boasting several times more vitamins and minerals then their full-grown vegetable counterparts.
“With over 50 varieties that we can cultivate, there’s a microgreen for every plate and palate,” says Ayanian with a smile.
A defining feature of the company is that all of their produce is grown hydroponically—without soil. It’s just the sort of hands-on skills that we teach here at Stockbridge, allowing food producers to increase the sustainability of its operations, while decreasing costs.
Hydroponic growing relies on having plant roots in direct contact with water, while ensuring that the water has appropriate levels of nutrients and beneficiary pH levels for the type of crop grown.
“Microgreens are easy to eat and delicious,” declares Ayanian, “which makes adding them to any diet a breeze.”
With microgreens being sprinkled atop expensive salads at high-end restaurants, there is a lot of money to be made while also promoting healthier diets based on fresh foods and sustainable agriculture techniques.
Choosing Your Own Education Path Makes It Possible
Selling lesser-known produce, grown with newer science-driven methods, requires the students to do substantial marketing and outreach, and to teach people the benefits, both nutritional and sustainable, of eating microgreens. The mix of skills required to launch and expand Supreme Microgreens are derived from Ayanian’s unique path through UMass.
In Fall of 2024, he earned dual degrees from two elite schools at UMass Amherst: a Bachelor of Science in Horticultural Science from the Stockbridge School of Agriculture; and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from the Isenberg School of Management
He then went on to take advantage of the “5th Year” Masters Degree program at Stockbridge, studying Plant & Soil Sciences. Ayanian serves as both a research assistant and instructor at the Stockbridge Hydroponic Greenhouse, and he hopes to join the Stockbridge PhD program next year.
To access the additional skills needed for company success, Ayanian brought in 2 undergraduate students and a recent alum, all with different backgrounds.
Director of Outreach Kagan Sherson is a Communications major graduating in 2027, who also works full-time for the UMass Auxiliary Services Team. Director of Operations Cam Sullivan earned his BS in Sustainable Food & Farming last year, and is cultivating a career in horticultural science while working in a plant nursery. Gavin Brady is pursuing an inter-disciplinary track in Legal Studies. Together, they hope to apply their different skillsets to the continued success and growth of Supreme Microgreens.
Good for People, Planet, and Profits
On Friday afternoons during late Spring and early Fall, the gang from Supreme Microgreens can be found alongside our student farmers, selling produce at our weekly Farmers Market.
Events like the on-campus Farmers Market are part of the Stockbridge School’s focus on experiential (e.g. hands-on) education, offering students the distinct joy of being present to sell what they’ve grown directly to people in their community.
The emphasis on building community while promoting business interests aligns with the “triple bottom line” cited by sustainable practitioners of agriculture. When farmers interact directly with customers, they find out which crops the public likes most. Direct market feedback can then influence future company investments.
“’Rambo Radish’ microgreens are a customer favorite,” shares Ayanian. “Sunflower microgreens too, especially with kids,”
The fast turnover in production of this crop also makes it attractive to the business mindset. “Can you believe it?” muses Ayanian, “It only takes 7-10 days of growth to reach harvest!”
Supreme Microgreens uses some space in our Hydroponic Greenhouse, where a controlled environment allows production throughout the year. They have also arranged to host growing space in the basements of some friendly neighbors in town, strengthening ties between the university and the town.
“We are constantly looking to grow and expand,” says Ayanian with a smile, “And we will continue to be able to do so with our community’s support!”.
The Berthiaume Center Innovation Challenge
The community supporting them includes a business idea incubator on the UMass campus. The Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship at UMass Amherst supports the development of innovative ideas into business-worthy structures. Berthiaume hosts start-up competitions, and offers valuable partnerships with area businesses, enabling access to expert guidance from both industry and academia.
As the founder of Supreme Microgreens Ayanian is very thankful for the many ways that Berthiaume has helped him to succeed:
“Berthiaume offered invaluable guidance through the entire process, including one on one interviews with MBA business fellows, hosting workshops to improve students pitching abilities, and providing several professional resources to help students perfect their presentations.”
Open to UMass students and recent graduates, the Innovation Challenge is Berthiaume’s premier pitch event each year. Startups work closely with the Berthiaume team to create a polished pitch deck and present their startup plan to a panel of judges. Ayanian then had to compete against other startup hopefuls, to win a spot in the Innovation Challenge Final Startups event, where he pitched to a panel of judges and a live audience.
The Supreme Microgreens pitch won first prize in the finals, netting the company $1000 that they’ll use to buy new equipment including a new hydroponic system for producing microgreens.
When asked what the future of the company might be, Ayanian doesn’t hesitate,