My name is Dagan Kiran Bora. I’m an ex-gym rat, amateur tennis player, and world traveler. More recently, I’ve begun vertical indoor farming. My Mom was an American with French-German roots. My Dad is an American who was born in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. I was born and grew up in Upstate New York. I’ve worked in Brazil and Portugal. I strive to be like an Ambassador representing the best aspects of the culture and civilization I grew up in and identify with.
Trayhaus Microgreens is a single-person operation right now. My second attempt at farming. The first was as a child. The goal is to live a healthier lifestyle, sustainably, while creating a bountiful surplus useful to others.
The story of how I got into this field is easy to relate to. It’s all about legacy. The origin of my first name led me to pick up the gauntlet thrown down by history. At my most rebellious I might say something like this, “As if I’d be forgotten, relegated to obscurity in the memory of human history just because some person who lived 5500 years ago invented a plow and was called a Father of the Gods when people didn’t know better? Over my dead body. Well, preferably not.”
So…back in the 21st century, what does Dagan Kiran Bora know about Food and Agriculture?
From 2013 to 2016 I worked a career where I supported clients in the manufacturing industry. One of my clients introduced me to their client Schneider Electric, a $26 billion dollar company, that was planning to do their own event for clients in the Food and Beverage vertical. Since they were not in the events business we agreed with them to partner with us as a Founding Partner to launch a Food and Beverage summit. I had previously worked on a cross-industry Manufacturing Summit, Mining, Aerospace, Petrochem, Corporate Benefits, and Medical Device summits. I interfaced with executives at leading F500 companies each and every day about the key issues in the industry. Because I was an insider I developed an informed perspective about the industry’s SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) right down to the technology used on the plant floor. One of my clients was an expert in Lean Six Sigma as well. The closest I ever got to traditional farming was riding the tractor with my Grandfather whom we affectionately called Farmer Grandpa. We grew pumpkins and squash, potatoes and carrots.
Turning point – In 2020 I noticed when the prices of food increased because of supply, demand, and product power increased as a result of a low interest rate environment. Add in the usual suspects supply chain snags and climate-change and the result is sustained cash outflow for groceries. By cooking at home I was able to eat better than eating out, but I still relied on grocery store suppliers. They just didn’t have the best products in stock. I wasn’t happy with that.
Microgreens… I saw an ad on Facebook and took a course. I had not eaten microgreens before I grew a batch for the first time in my friend Washim’s garage. I wasn’t even sure if I’d like the taste but I was already sold based on the nutrition profile of the plants. My friend Washim brought some of the surplus from Lilburn to Boston because the product has anti-diabetic properties and we know someone at risk. Nearly every person with family in India and Bangladesh does. The saying goes – You are what you eat. We can delight our cells and immune system in our bodies by calibrating better inputs.
The product will stay good for about 10 days after harvest but is best at its freshest. I loved having confidence in the expanded nutrient profile of the meals I prepared at home. For instance – I added peas to ramen soup. Just rinse and drop-in. By adding freshly-harvested Sunflower microgreens (my favorite thus far) to chicken korma I ensured a much more balanced meal. You can see how unhealthy those menu choices are by the lack of veggies and high sodium content. Where are the vegetables? Oh here they are! /freshdrop The crunchy texture and flavor took the meal from a 6 to a 9. Although I didn’t care about the taste or texture of the microgreens I was happily surprised by what I found.
I’d like to do more of this, but I also want the exercise to pay for itself so that it becomes sustainable while the customer base and footprint of positive impact grow alongside. That said, I am totally open to feedback and fresh ideas. So don’t hesitate to reach out if you have an idea for how we can partner. I anticipate substantial in-kind donation activity of products well into the future.
