Biome Botanicals
Enhancing Efficiency and Profitability through Diversification
Grant Award: $10,000
Since 2020, Biome Botanicals has been producing medicinal herbs on ¼-acre of land and selling to Asheville Tea Company as well as small local herbalists. The demand for these products is projected to grow significantly over the next five years, and Rolando is ready to capture this market by scaling up his production. He plans to triple his income and increase efficiency on the farm through mechanization and automation and expanding to an additional ¾-acre growing area.
The purchase of a walk-behind tractor and implements has enabled them to break ground, shape growing beds, and terminate cover crops quickly.
They have also added a greenhouse heater, thermostat, and insulation and have upgraded their herb-drying system, providing a more stable, spacious, and efficient setup that saves money by reducing energy costs. The addition of propagation equipment helped eliminate a bottleneck in their production system which allowed them to kick off the the season with sufficient plant starts.
Contact the Local Extension Agent