S9E120 Karla Garcia / Hort Americas - From Microgreens in Mexico to Educating New Indoor Farmers

Ever wished you could peek into the mind of a successful vertical farming entrepreneur? Our guest Karla Garcia shares here love for plant physiology and how it guided her to the realm of vertical farming. From her childhood influences to her current role as a technical services specialist at Hort Americas in Mexico, Karla's story is a testament to the power of passion and hard work.

As Karla shares her experiences, we shed light on the trending shift towards vertical farming among the younger generation. The focus is changing from merely seeking jobs to pioneering businesses in controlled environment agriculture. We also touch on the growing vertical farming community in Mexico, which is championing collaboration and growth. Hear about the sweat and resilience required to carve out a niche in this industry and the boundless opportunities that lie in wait.

Lastly, we delve into Karla's personal life, discussing the crucial balance between work and passion, the importance of wise planning, and making informed investments in the vertical farming industry. Karla underscores the significance of starting small, learning on the go, and structuring your business intelligently. The conversation wraps up with Karla extending an open invitation to connect on Instagram and the Hort Americas website for those keen on learning more about the horticulture industry in Mexico. Join us as we unravel the intricacies of the world of vertical farming and harvest some invaluable advice for anyone interested in this burgeoning industry.

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Key Takeaways

00:00 Entrepreneurial Journey in Plant Science

06:43 Starting a Microgreens Business With Hort Americas

20:15 Shift Towards Interest in Vertical Farming

24:48 Vertical Farming and Teaching Passion

31:34 Work-Life Balance in Vertical Farming

38:16 Connecting With Karla for More Information

Tweetable Quotes"When applying knowledge, you get to know a lot. I would I love to analyze data, for example. So every time that I have data from my business or even from other people's business, for me that's really exciting because you get to know how the plant is behaving and what things you can do inside of the greenhouse or the plant factory in order to adjust everything.""If you have a goal, you find a way. So I think that's really important too, and I have seen that when helping my friends and different people in different businesses. That's really important because sometimes we give up before trying enough.""I think vertical farming is very helpful, but we need to evaluate the projects in advance, because some of the projects are very big and very ambitious and we don't have at that time a history on how to do business with that kind of company."Resources Mentioned

Hort Americas - https://hortamericas.com/

Karla's Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/karla-garcia-8abb1213b

Karla's Email - pakarla11@email.arizona.edu

Connect With Us

VFP LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/verticalfarmingpodcast

VFP Twitter - https://twitter.com/VerticalFarmPod

VFP Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/direct/inbox/

VFP Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/VerticalFarmPod

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Mentioned in this episode:

2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews

2025 Precision Ag Report

2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews

2025 Precision Ag Report