Raffi Meyer - Growing Fresh Microgreens Under LED Grow Lights - Get Up & Grow Podcast EP #11

Welcome to the Get Up & Grow Podcast, Episode #11. In this episode, we're shining a light on the vibrant world of microgreens with Raffi Meyer, the visionary owner and cultivator behind Meyer Micros. Situated in the scenic realm of Cardiff by the Sea, Raffi has harnessed the power of LED grow lights to nurture these "nutritional superheroes," bringing a fresh perspective to sustainable farming practices.

With a unique backstory rooted in a log cabin in Idaho and a vegetarian upbringing, Raffi's journey into the world of microgreens is as inspiring as it is green. Through his innovative approach and dedication to sustainability, Meyer Micros has emerged as a leading advocate for environmentally friendly agriculture.

Join us as Raffi delves into the origins of his passion, the intricacies of growing microgreens, and his commitment to making organic food accessible to everyone. 

Highlights from our conversation include:

• A glimpse into Raffi's childhood in Idaho, how it shaped his love for nature, and its influence on his vegetarian values. 
• The nutritional powerhouse of microgreens, what makes them stand out, and Raffi's approach to preserving their nutritional integrity. 
• A breakdown of Raffi's farming techniques, highlighting his custom-blended organic seedling mix and the pivotal role of premium filtered water. 
• An exploration of the sustainability of microgreens, comparing their water and energy footprint to traditional farming methods. 
• Insights into the integration of LED grow light technology at Meyer Micros, its benefits, and the journey towards becoming a zero-waste company. 
• The challenges faced in the early days of Meyer Micros, overcoming them, and the impact of the Cardiff by the Sea community on the business. 
• Balancing affordability with quality and sustainability in providing organic food to the community. 
• Raffi's vision for the future of Meyer Micros amidst growing awareness of sustainable food sources and his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs in the field of sustainable farming.

Raffi's story is a testament to the potential of innovative agricultural techniques and the importance of community in fostering sustainable food sources. To learn more about Meyer Micros and follow their journey in revolutionizing microgreen farming, check out their initiatives and connect with them online at his website https://meyermicros.com/ and his Instagram @meyermicros

We're dedicated to supporting growers and innovators like you, so we value your feedback to enhance our podcast for the grower community.

Now, let's Get Up & Grow!

Taylor Schaberg

Transcript

Taylor (00:00)
Hi, Rafi. Thanks for joining the podcast today.

Raffi Meyer (00:02)
Hi Taylor, thanks for having me.

Taylor (00:04)
So really happy to be here with you. This is Rafi of Meyer Micro's. You're down in the San Diego area. I kind of wanted to start with your background.

Can you maybe give us a background about where you grew up and how you came to San Diego?

Raffi Meyer (00:21)
Oh yeah, definitely. So I was born in Idaho and in a log cabin. Actually, I wasn't born in the hospital. I have a big family. We have seven children and I'm right in the middle. And so yeah, I was born in the log cabin and we live next to a lake as well. So we had a trail going down behind the houses. So we would always be walking down there and forging on blueberries and boysenberries and blackberries and rhubarb and

all kinds of wild stuff growing, and we would just go hang out and forage up and down the pathways and walk through the hills and stuff. So that's when, and I was at a young age, so I was really excited to learn about, you know, the real food and stuff that grows in nature, you know, and you don't buy it actually in a store, you know. You get it directly from the land, you know.

Taylor (01:00)
Wow.

So were you a vegetarian?

Raffi Meyer (01:20)
So yeah, our parents raised us vegetarians. We did live on a lake, so we were not technically vegetarians, but we ate fish. But other than that, we didn't eat chicken. We didn't eat red meat or anything like that. But it was, I guess, a pescatarian, they call it.

Taylor (01:29)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

upbringing.

Raffi Meyer (01:42)
and always have a giant salad, you know, at least once a day.

Taylor (01:45)
Okay, so you've been around fresh greens your whole life and now you're in San Diego. What are you growing now?

Raffi Meyer (01:55)
So yeah, right now I've been growing microgreens for five years. And so basically right now I been jumping around from house to house and I finally landed in a place. It's a rental, but I converted my two car garage into a grow space. So it's all insulated, it's got a air conditioner. So it's like ideally it's 70 degrees in there. It fluctuates up and down maybe. It doesn't fluctuate up maybe one degree, but

going down maybe at nighttime it'll drop two degrees. So it's ideal temperature year round.

Taylor (02:29)
So what sort of drew you to growing microgreens in particular?

Raffi Meyer (02:32)
Well, a few years back I was growing, um, maybe, you know, like about 10 years ago, I was growing little vegetables on a patio. I didn't have a yard. It was just concrete. I built like a little, you know, raised garden bed and I had fresh herbs. And then I had a couple of pots with tomatoes in there and it was incredible just to taste the difference from, you know, a store bought compared to what you can grow, you know, just on your own at your house.

Taylor (02:59)
So as a kid, you were eating this stuff off the land and then you got older and maybe you got jaded by super grocery store food and then you kind of relived it, I guess, when you started growing again, how it tasted.

Raffi Meyer (03:12)
Yeah, I mean, when you're young, you kind of like, you know, I moved here when I was nine years old, came to California and haven't left since. So when I came here, you know, we were, of course, we were eating really good foods. But when you're a teenager and you don't have too much money, you know, you tend to eat out a little bit of junk food here and there, you know, 99 cent specials, all that to fill the gaps. But that's like the opposite of where I am today. And

Taylor (03:19)
Okay.

Thanks for watching.

Raffi Meyer (03:42)
what I'm trying to bring to the local community and try to reach out to as many people as I can with this gift of amazing nutrition.

Taylor (03:51)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah, you call microgreens on your website nutritional superheroes. Could you speak more about that? And, uh, yeah.

Raffi Meyer (04:00)
Yeah, I mean, when the microgreens, when you eat a plant as a microgreen, which is the first couple weeks of the plant's life, that's when they have the most nutrition and the most flavor. So I mean, some of the microgreens have over 40 times more nutritional value than the full grown vegetable. And all you need is a little handful to get all those incredible nutrients and everything that helps you, you know, within that little plant.

And at the farmer's market, I don't sell harvested products. I sell living greens in four inch containers. So they're little small ones. And that way people can get a variety and they can eat them living. Cause the second you harvest any vegetable, it's going to start losing nutrients. So if you can eat them living, that's when you're going to gain the most benefits and microgreens offer incredible benefits.

Taylor (04:32)
Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah, like for example, I mean, I know they're full of antioxidants. What other sort of vitamins and minerals do they offer?

Raffi Meyer (04:51)
Yeah, they're really rich in nutrition. They, when you eat them, they contribute to brain health, gut health, healthy skin. They're great for detoxing, incredible for digestion. So I mean, kids love them. They have incredible different flavors. I mean, I'm growing some cantaloupe microgreens right now that have a nice cucumber flavor, and then they're really sweet, like a cantaloupe on the end. So people are really getting a kick out of them. And they...

Taylor (05:14)
Mm-hmm.

Raffi Meyer (05:21)
A lot of people ask me, how do I use these microgreens? Because people are, you know, they don't really know about them. They're not like mainstream and a lot of people don't know about them. So I tell them all you have to do is cut them and add them to your food. It's very simple. And a little tiny handful will give you all those nutritional benefits. Plus the amazing flavor.

Taylor (05:25)
Yeah.

Right. I think when people think of microgreens, maybe they think of a fancy steak at a five-star restaurant with just some microgreens sprinkled on top. Or maybe a sandwich you put sprouts on a sandwich traditionally. So yeah, what are some other ways besides just popping them in your mouth? What can you, what have you seen some of your customers use them with in more unique ways?

Raffi Meyer (06:03)
Yeah, I explained to them that with the microgreens, you can add them to a sandwich, a salad, tacos, burgers, wraps, they're great with avocado toast, of course. I mean, avocado toast is amazing, as you know. So a little handful of microgreens goes very well with that, a great pair. And then if you do a hot item, like a pasta soup, stir fry, eggs, anything warm, you just add them in right at the end. That way they stay nice and fresh. And ideally you...

you have live greens on your countertop, which you would cut off and put them right on your food.

Taylor (06:36)
So if you cut microgreens at home, will they re-harvest again? Will you get a couple rounds with that? Or is it once you cut it, it's kind of done?

Raffi Meyer (06:48)
So there are a couple varieties that will grow back. E-shoots are one of them. If you cut them a little bit above the bottom leaf, they will give you one more grow. Leeks will do the same thing. Sometimes those will grow back, but there's only a couple that will grow back. And when they do, they're not gonna be as nutritionally rich. So the first time around is definitely more beneficial.

Taylor (06:52)
Mm-hmm.

That's great. Yeah.

Raffi Meyer (07:14)
but you can use them a second time.

Taylor (07:17)
Right. So when you give people a tray, are you giving them a tray of micro greens, like with the throwaway tray included, or is it like, how would they package?

Raffi Meyer (07:26)
No, so what I would give them would, I show up with a 10-20 tray and I have eight plants in each tray. They're in four inch coconut containers. So it's a compressed coconut fiber pot. And then I had organic soil in there, or the organic seeds that I buy, and then filtered water. They go under germination and then straight on the racks underneath my LEDs. Actually, they're your LEDs you created.

Taylor (07:37)
Yeah.

Raffi Meyer (07:55)
They're amazing a couple days later and they're ready to go. Some of them may take a couple of weeks, but usually they're pretty quick. I mean, seven to 10 days, you got a nice, a nice set of microgreens there.

Taylor (07:59)
Yes.

It's amazing, yeah. So you can have fresh produce every week for your customers.

Raffi Meyer (08:16)
Right, yep. And then so I sell it to them a little bit undergrown. That way it sits on their countertop grows an additional seven days. They use it throughout the week and hopefully come and see me or order through our website for a delivery on the next week.

Taylor (08:25)
Mm-hmm.

And are you servicing mainly, you know, the customer end user, the, the families, local people, are you also servicing restaurants and hotels or these kinds of customers?

Raffi Meyer (08:43)
We have a couple, most of our sales are done right now through farmers markets. We do have a few subscribers through our website, which they will order online. They can get delivery or they can pick it up from the farmers markets. But a majority of it, and we do have a few restaurant accounts. We're looking to update our price sheets real soon here because we came out with a couple other varieties that we want to add to our.

Taylor (09:05)
Mm-hmm.

Raffi Meyer (09:13)
Add to our list and then we're gonna shoot off to some grocery stores. Hopefully a couple local ones, small mom and pop ones and start from there and see how we can grow from there.

Taylor (09:26)
Cool. Yeah, you mentioned LED lighting and kind of how your setup is working. I wanted to ask you about sort of your techniques, your growing techniques, and your focus on sustainability. Can you explain the significance of your custom blended organic seedling mix and how this is different than maybe how other people are growing microgreens?

Raffi Meyer (09:47)
Yeah, so I mean, you can use different substrates, but I like to make my own. So I get a few different varieties. I get a Coca-Cola, I get some worm casting, I get some sand, you know, I get things that are regenerative and I use those to grow my seedlings and they grow amazing.

Taylor (10:05)
Mm-hmm.

Do you notice with organic materials, flavor differences and things like that, coloration differences?

Raffi Meyer (10:15)
Yeah, you can definitely taste the difference and not only in the soil mix, but also with the lighting you use. It depends on what lighting you use. I mean, if you're gonna use a cheap shop light, which that's how I started out,

but it's not gonna be as quality as it would be

Taylor (10:30)
Hmm.

Raffi Meyer (10:35)
if you were using the proper lighting.

Taylor (10:36)
use.

Raffi Meyer (10:40)
I think it's a light strip, and I think they're 20 or 23, or equal to 23 watts or something like that. So they're super beneficial in saving on that electricity bill for sure.

Taylor (10:42)
Mm-hmm.

Right.

Yeah, you're just about half the energy usage and you don't have to replace lamps. So that's very nice. Do you notice with the lower heat that that's also a nice benefit?

Raffi Meyer (11:03)
The lower heat is crucial. At my old spot, it wasn't insulated that great, but I had the AC running nonstop and my electric bill was way higher than it is now. It's dropped considerably.

But the low heat coming off of the lights is, which is barely nothing. I mean, you can grab the thing and you barely feel any heat at all coming off of it. So that, that really helps with keeping the room at the proper ideal temperature.

Taylor (11:33)
Hmm because what were you saying the temperature of microgreens needs to be 70s?

Raffi Meyer (11:39)
If you go above 75, it tends that you can get mold way easier. And they do grow quicker, so they'll stretch a little higher, quicker. So ideally, you want them a bit shorter and a bit thicker. Thicker stems, thicker leaves, you get a more proper product if you grow it below. I like to go below 75. I keep my room at 70.

I mean, you can go 68 to like 75 tops maybe, but ideally I like to keep it a little bit lower that way. I don't know. My plants grow maybe a tiny bit slower, but I feel like I get a quote more quality product doing that.

Taylor (12:18)
So the benefits of the LED are lower heat, lower energy usage. Did you notice anything you think from the different spectrum versus the traditional shop lights that you were using?

Raffi Meyer (12:29)
Um, it does look like the plants are way healthier. Yeah, they seem to grow. They're thicker. Like I said, like compared to a shop, but I've done side by side comparisons and, and there's definitely a great difference.

Taylor (12:29)
You think there's something to be said for that?

Mm-hmm.

Okay, so you have more product to bring to market and you can end up selling more units because you have more yield, right?

Raffi Meyer (12:50)
Correct. Well, if you're doing it by weight, which on my online website, we do clam shells as well. A lot of people that order on our website, they'll get a harvested pack. So, yeah, that's when the weight comes in handy, or if you're selling to restaurants or grocery stores, stuff like that. It makes a big difference.

Taylor (13:09)
Mm-hmm. And are you happy with the coloration that you're seeing of these different microgreens? I know that some are greener than others. Some have just, there's just, there's radish that has the purple stems, and there's all kinds of colors that happen with these beautiful microgreens. Have you seen what you expect to see with that?

Raffi Meyer (13:28)
Definitely. Yep. Really nice coloring. The red garnet amaranth, the beets, the cilantro. I mean, you get incredible coloration.

Taylor (13:33)
And it's.

And is that also good when you have customers walking by at the farmer's market and they can look down at the table and just see these different varieties that kind of draw their eye to you.

Raffi Meyer (13:48)
Oh yeah, definitely. When you have a rainbow of microgreens sitting there, you got purples, you got pinks, you got light green, dark greens, you got some reds, you get mixes. And that I've had many people come up to me and say, you have the best looking booth at this farmer's market, you know, and they may not even be a customer. They're just so drawn to the amazing growth and coloration of these plants.

Taylor (14:06)
Ha.

Hmm

Yeah, that's, I appreciate that. Um, and happy it's working out for you before you started, um, your journey into micro greens, your venture. Like what made you decide to say one day? I want to do this. I want to be, I want to go to these markets. I want to be an entrepreneur and I want to focus on micro greens.

Raffi Meyer (14:32)
Well, basically I was watching YouTube videos, growing my vegetables, and then I saw somebody growing microgreens and went down that YouTube rabbit hole and tried, I started off with a, just a basic coconut fiber grow pad and just tried that with seeds and water and it worked great. It worked amazing. So I was starting with that. I did a little run with that for a little while and that was all hydroponic. I just used filtered water and would just.

missed them from the top. Some of the varieties didn't work great with that, so that's why I switched over to soil, and then I was tired of buying somebody's soil, so I would buy bulk items and make my own.

Taylor (15:17)
Oh.

Raffi Meyer (15:17)
when I went to the soil, I found that every variety that I tried to grow grew really well, opposed to some hydroponic methods where like sunflowers and some of the varieties don't grow that great.

Taylor (15:29)
And then what did you say? I want to offer these micro greens for sale.

Raffi Meyer (15:33)
So I started growing five years ago, started selling about three years ago, and then we just started, and that was three years ago, that was the, we set up the website, so we were just, we were selling through that way. So we got some subscribers and stuff, and then started hitting the farmers markets this year in January. And so now we've built up to four farmers markets, and then we have the subscribers as well, yeah.

Taylor (15:55)
So this is all new.

So you're busy now. It's a full-time job.

Raffi Meyer (16:04)
I'm very busy, yes. Full-time job. I harvest on Monday, I deliver on Tuesday. I have a farmer's market on Wednesday. I have a farmer's market on Thursday. I plant again on Friday. I got a farmer's market on Saturday and Sunday.

Taylor (16:20)
Yeah, trying to book you for this interview is not the easiest thing.

Raffi Meyer (16:25)
Yeah, sorry about that. Yeah. It's hard to find a little bit of time, but it is great when you do.

Taylor (16:27)
Now you're good.

That's awesome. Yeah. You said you, you got our lights like three years ago. So to see the progress that you've made with them and your expansion is, is so great to hear. You said you were with somebody that's helping you. Who, who's that and how are they helping?

Raffi Meyer (16:48)
Did I say that? I didn't know.

Taylor (16:51)
Oh, you said we. So I don't know. Are we as a company? Maybe you meant.

Raffi Meyer (16:54)
Oh, me, I just, yeah, well, me and my, uh, well, technically she's my wife, Lisa. She helped me with, she helps me with delivery. She helped me with, uh, all the literature, you know, coming up with great things to write and advertisements and stuff like that. And she, when I get down and I think I want to quit, she's like, you're not doing that, but she always lifts me up when I get low and, uh, yeah, she's, uh, she's a great team.

Taylor (17:00)
Hahaha

Aww.

Raffi Meyer (17:24)
Great partner.

Taylor (17:25)
That's awesome. Yeah. So she's all in with this, with this micro green vision that you have and bringing this to people.

Raffi Meyer (17:33)
100%, yeah. One of our best friends actually created our logo, which is really, really fun.

Taylor (17:38)
Yeah, no, I like your branding. I love your website. Your story is super interesting. What you're going with. Like it's great for, especially in California, you're hitting all the right notes there.

Raffi Meyer (17:50)
Very cool, thank you, I appreciate it.

Taylor (17:51)
So yeah, you're in Cardiff by the Sea. Is that the name of the community?

Raffi Meyer (17:57)
Um, yeah, so I grew up in Cardiff, um, and Encinitas and I kind of been jumping around, but originally I moved to Cardiff. So grew up there and as I go lower, just moved around the little cities right around real close the surrounding towns. And so right now we're in Carlsbad, California. So that's about 10, 10 minutes from Cardiff by the sea.

Taylor (18:16)
Okay, and

And you said that you have four farmers markets. So how, I'm guessing, how is the, how is the community like influenced you and supported your business? I'm guessing they have.

Raffi Meyer (18:31)
Yeah, definitely with open arms at the very beginning of the year, it was pretty cold and slow and rainy and windy. And for some reason, one of our, our, you know, some of our markets are cursed and it just seems like they always get bad weather, but, and those are usually the ones that are doing their week. So they're a bit slower, but as far as people taken to the microgreens, they love them. And what's, you know, it's more of like an education thing because they don't really know about it.

I do a great deal of explaining what they are and how they can help. And then I give out free samples of each of them. And once people try them, they get blown away and they end up being a customer. Nine times, like probably eight out of 10 people that try it, they, they end up taking some home for sure. And they usually have really pleasant things to say.

Taylor (19:22)
So it sounds like the business has grown. Have there been any challenges that you faced when you started out or made way through or that you dealt with and slowed you down? And I know you have your wife helping you and cheering you on, but how did you overcome some of those specific instances of having an issue?

Raffi Meyer (19:42)
Yeah, yeah, definitely. Some problems that we face are like, you know, soil issues, you get, this is when I was buying soil. It was, you know, I'd get good batches and then they'd go bad or they then the next batch would be bad. And then same thing with seeds. You just, you never know. That's why it's

It's good nowadays, like I'll buy ahead of time. That way I can try them out, test them out, do a couple together side by side and see which ones work well. And hopefully, you know, next time you buy seeds, try to buy a bulk amount of that seed so that you have some in stock because you do, you know, you're up against it with nature, you know, you never know what you're gonna get. The seeds I do get are all tested and they're all, you know, very high germination rates.

But occasionally you'll get a few that are off, but that's just part of nature. So the elements and then growing from the beginning, I never had a ideally climatized spot to grow. So that's a huge factor. You know, cause in the summertime, a room, depending on where you are, if you got windows or what's going on, but rooms can get over 80 degrees, 85, 90 degrees. And

Plants definitely don't like that. So right now I'm in a very comfortable spot figuring it out. And I've also finally found the grow pots that I'm using now are compostable as well. You can plant them in your garden. I tell people use 90, 95% as a microgreen, plant this coconut pot in the ground in your yard. It's gonna grow into full grown vegetables, herbs, flowers, melons.

whatever the vegetable is. It's the same seed we just plant really dense and use them as microgreens because they're so nutrient rich. So I'm super excited I found the coconut grow pods in bulk for a decent price.

Taylor (21:45)
So you've got all your supplies lined up. You've kind of gotten through those choke points and now things are more predictable. So you're able to stick to this sustainability of doing the micro greens. And I have a question, how do you strike a balance between keeping your micro greens affordable for your customer while maintaining the quality and then also doing the sustainable method that you are using?

Raffi Meyer (22:13)
So yeah, basically I'm just growing as much as I can for the customers. I'm not overgrown. I overgrow a little bit that way I have extra give out for samples and stuff like that for the restaurants and things that we're hitting out nowadays. But yeah, just it's basically it's trial and error. Sometimes it's week to week and you don't know. So you just have to fight through those hard times and make it affordable as you can, but you're not also not trying to sink yourself.

Taylor (22:26)
Mm.

Raffi Meyer (22:41)
So there's got to be a nice balance there. So that does take some figuring. And to be completely honest, I'm not completely there. We're still in the, you know, we're still right there too, trying to figure it out as well.

Taylor (22:53)
Sure. You just started doing the farmers markets a year ago. So yeah, like you still have plenty of time. Do you see a lot of competition in this area in San Diego? Or do you feel like you're the only ones doing this kind of thing? It's interesting. Yeah.

Raffi Meyer (23:06)
Yeah, there is actually. There's a bit of competition. Yeah, there's definitely competition. There's a few farms that target restaurants, high-end restaurants and other restaurants. So they have, you know, but there's always room. I mean, there's microgreen people. Sometimes at my larger markets, there can be two microgreen people, and they usually have one on either end.

Hopefully and normally you would have one that does harvested greens only and then one that offers live greens So there's a difference there and I offer live green so I feel like I'm offering a more beneficial product But at the same time microgreens no matter what are incredible So if the markets big enough that that's great, but on some of the smaller ones it can be difficult, especially during the week

Taylor (23:59)
Hmm. Well, yeah, I appreciate that. I want to ask you, where do you see your business in the next few years? Five to 10 years, that's a bit of a ways out, but maybe the next two to five years. Where do you see your business? What are your plans? Like you seem to be expanding quickly. What's next?

Raffi Meyer (24:19)
Yeah, well the next step is hiring somebody so they can do the farmers market so I can concentrate more on sales and traveling around and going to the restaurants and grocery stores and putting in the hard work and you know trying to build it that way and getting more subscribers and stuff like that. So that way it can free up some time for me. So that would be definitely the first thing to do for sure.

Taylor (24:20)
I'm sorry.

Do you think you'd need to get to larger space potentially, or do you think your space is good for now?

Raffi Meyer (24:50)
Well, to be honest, it's pretty wild. That's what's so amazing about the microgreens is you don't need a giant space to grow in a sane amount of microgreens. I mean, I am growing, I have two grow racks that are, they're not even full. Like one and a half racks is full. And then I have two germinating racks and like, you know, one of them is full. And I have enough room and to add six more growing racks and two more germinating racks. And

Taylor (24:57)
I'm going to go ahead and close the video.

Raffi Meyer (25:20)
My growth space is 300 square feet.

Taylor (25:23)
Yeah, that's amazing.

You can always add another shelf, you know, as well, usually. So as long as your vertical height's good, could do a lot with that with

As an entrepreneur in the sustainable farming world, what key advice or insights would you give with someone else like looking to venture into this field?

If they're a home grower or just a small farmer that wants to go to their local farmers market, what would you say to that person or what are some insights you could share?

Raffi Meyer (25:46)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Some insights I would share probably be it's it's fairly easy to grow Microgreens the thing is you got it, you know, it's all trial and error though. So you got to start somewhere So ideally, you know get a grow kit start out Try it out See if you like it and definitely don't go too big too quick, especially when you're buying equipment and stuff like that I feel like I did jump the gun and get a bit too rowdy and bought too much

You know, too many trades, too many things, but now I'm growing into it, so it's great. I'm really happy I have them. So definitely start small when you're starting out.

Taylor (26:23)
Hmm.

And you kind of also, I mean, you're a grower and you know how to do sales and you're business minded. Which one of those came first? Or how did you realize you had all these components?

Raffi Meyer (26:40)
Well, to be honest, the first time I ever done a sale was in January when I started the farmers market, like a face to face sale. We've had online sales, but never like a face to face customer sale. So I'm learning. I'm learning. I don't think I'm great at sales, but I know I have a great product. I just need to work on my marketing literature a little bit, signage, and I'm set. I know I have a winning product.

Taylor (26:54)
Mm-hmm.

Raffi Meyer (27:08)
People are buying it, so I know it's amazing.

Taylor (27:11)
Yeah, and I think your story and your message is really, really beautiful. And I think it's, it'll serve your clients well to, I think when you approach those grocery stores with that message, I think it's gonna, it's gonna impress people, but yeah. And then the coloration and the flavor, I think having people like you're generous with having people try your product first, that's going to really open some doors for you. So I really wish you all the best and.

If you need anything from me, I'm here to help. And congratulations on your growth and continued growth.

Raffi Meyer (27:44)
Thank you, Taylor. I really appreciate it.

Taylor (27:46)
Yeah, well, um...

Raffi Meyer (27:47)
Yeah, and I love being able to contribute, you know, a healthy product to the community here. I feel like I'm doing something positive and it gets me excited.

Taylor (27:59)
No, that's great. So if anyone's in the Encinitas area, make sure to visit Meyer Micros, check out their website, check out their Instagram. I'm going to share all the links after the show. Is there any other final thoughts you want to share with us, Rafi?

Raffi Meyer (28:16)
Yeah, I just want to say thank you and I hope everybody stays healthy. If you do come to San Diego, come by our farmers market, try out some samples. You'll be blown away about the taste and flavor and then you can read about the nutrition and, and hopefully become a micro green consumer because they, they do wonders for your body and your mind and, and your happiness.

Taylor (28:37)
I love it. Thank you again, Rafi, for your time and I'll speak with you soon.

Raffi Meyer (28:41)
Thank you, Taylor. Have a great day.

Taylor (28:43)
You too.