S3E38: Marc Oshima - Business as a Force for Good: Indoor Farming

Vertical Farming Podcast

07/10/21 • 52 min

Episode Summary

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show, co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer at AeroFarms, Marc Oshima. AeroFarms is an award-winning indoor farming company that is on a bold mission to grow the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity. Today, Harry and Marc talk about Marc’s background in marketing and how it has impacted his work at AeroFarms. Marc provides his thoughts on the concept of ‘speed breeding,’ speaks to his passion for food and expounds on the concept of utilizing business as a force for good

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Key Takeaways

02:37 – Harry welcomes to the show Marc Oshima, who discusses the impact COVID-19 has had on his business, his background in marketing and the power of telling the story behind the food
08:23 – Marc talks about the value of AeroFarms being a Certified B Corporation
11:51 – Marc explains the concept of ‘speed breeding’ and how he got involved in marketing and food
17:22 – Marc reflects on the work he did at Toys R’ Us
20:54 – Marc expounds on the vision and mission of AeroFarms and the importance of food literacy
27:30 – Marc talks about the journey of AeroFarms and potential future expansions
29:06 – Marc speaks to the experience of AeroFarms going public
32:23 – Marketing trends Marc has noticed throughout his career and the impact of social media marketing
35:43 – Where Marc sees companies get it wrong in their approach to customer relations
37:48 – Marc speaks to some of the initiatives AeroFarms prioritizes
43:49 – A tough question Marc has had to ask himself recently
46:22 – Harry thanks Marc for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can learn more about AeroFarms and connect with Marc

Tweetable Quotes

“This idea that business can be a force for good expands beyond just the world of agriculture. This is about other verticals and we’re hoping that we can be an inspiration and a catalyst for other companies as well.” (09:04) (Marc)

“Thinking about key genetic traits plus the rapid growing process, that’s really leading to this rapid cultivation, this speed breeding. This is what we think about as the next generation of the indoor farming opportunities that we continue to unlock.” (12:15) (Marc)

“For us, what we’re doing and have been doing in the category of leafy greens is we’re creating different flavor experiences.” (20:54) (Marc)

“We’ve been very specific about how to build our brand. And I think that’s a very important part of the equation today without question. And part of that is the journey with the consumer hand-in-hand and how do we collectively get them to be our brand advocates and brand ambassadors.” (33:30) (Marc)

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