Aquaponics. If you’re not familiar with this word, you’re not alone.
It’s a system of aquaculture where waste produced by farmed raised fish or other aquatic animals supplies nutrients for plants grown hydroponically, which in turn purify the water. Pretty awesome, right?
We’re very excited to introduce you to Buttercrunch Farm!
Buttercrunch is a sustainable farm right here in Vail that recently had PCW build them a 3,000 square foot temperature controlled greenhouse and 1500 square foot barn/fish house. These two buildings will allow the couple to grow leafy greens and herbs year round and will also supply the community with farm raised tilapia.
Peri and Rob – the brilliant and innovative founders of the farm – are currently working on the finishing up the final details of the aquaponic operations at the farm.
It isn’t every day we get to help a business like Buttercrunch Farm, so were overjoyed to have them as a client and to have contributed to this project!
The couple – both entrepreneurial spirits at heart – always knew they wanted to start their own business in farming, after taking a four-day aquaponics course they knew that was the direction they wanted to take their business.
“Rob has a passion for clean, healthy food. I have a degree in entrepreneurial studies. So, we knew that we wanted to build a business that would allow us to give back to the community in a way that had to do with food,” said Peri.
The two loved the idea of aquaponics in large part due to it being so sustainable. There is no waste, 100 percent organic (but cannot be certified because the term organic means to be grown in soil) and it’s a business that can run all year long. This, and knowing they’d be able to give back to local residents and restaurants made the decision a no-brainer!
When we asked where the name Buttercrunch Farm came from, Peri explained to us that it’s the name of a beautiful lettuce crop, one that will be grown on the farm.
Besides bringing a green business to our community, we also love this company because of their innovation!
The company plans on allocating a portion of the farm to experimenting. They plan on growing a variety of veggies to see how far they can push past what’s been done in the aquaponics world thus far.
In addition, Buttercrunch Farm hopes to provide educational events to the community, to get them just as excited as we are about this awesome business!
If you aren’t already, follow Buttercrunch on Facebook!
Thank you Peri and Rob for having us help you build your dream business – one we know will be a huge asset to our community!