Toronto-based social enterprise Ripple Farms Inc. aims to solve the issue of food security before it becomes a global problem.

Steven Bourne and Brandon Hebor came together to start a consulting firm in cap and trade but, convinced they would find greater success by following their true passion, they turned their focus in an entirely new direction: hydroponic aquaponic farming. With Brandon’s background in biology and Steven’s expertise in business, the duo launched Ripple Farms in November 2016 to reconnect urban populations with sustainable food production.

Ripple Farms aims to help solve impending issues surrounding food security through vertical farming technology. Their vertical farming systems use water and intense amounts of LED light to enable the indoor farming of microgreens and fish in spaces of varying sizes.  They’re working towards putting their technology to use in remote locations or areas without viable farmland.

To scale up, their team of four full-time staff are focused on creating partnerships with other social enterprises and not-for-profit organizations and with educational boards such as the Toronto District Schoolboard, which has recently recruited them as external educators. As part of STEM education, they will be visiting classrooms across Toronto to talk about how climate change effects farming, feeding communities and the benefits of their technology.

 The co-founders believe they benefited greatly from their early contact with OCE and support through the SmartStart Seed Fund. “We’re now getting traction and are able to tell the world about what we’re doing” Steven says.  He notes that the networking and mentorship available through OCE and Seneca College’s HELIX, an Ontario Campus Linked Accelerators (CLA) program, have been instrumental; “[They’re] all in your corner and rooting you on”.

A true social enterprise, Ripple Farms is not just educating Ontarians about their technology, they’re also working on a large-scale version of their product to suit a 300-400 square foot space within another Toronto-based social enterprise that works with individuals living with various disabilities.

Rooted in central Ontario, the co-founders intend to add additional staff in the coming year that will not only enable them to move into northern Ontario’s rural communities but will also help them engage in large projects on a global scale through a recent partnership with a larger aquaponic organization. How many can they feed? “By 2030, through strategic partnerships and our educational pillar, we hope to be prepared to feed 9 billion and beyond,” says co-founder Steven Bourne.