Innovation

In 2017 the idea of creating an automated domestic grow system which is both efficient and environmentally friendly was born from a group of friends who live in the countryside near Pamplona, Spain and like to eat healthfully.

This group of friends decided they wanted to try to grow and manage their own crops of vegetables, but they realized they didn't have the time or the knowledge. They started their project thanks to the fact that one of their partners is a computer technician and has his own software company. He was able to develop software that could manage and control a greenhouse. After developing the software, they realized they did not want their project to be only used by people who already owned a greenhouse but wanted to help people with no prior experience grown their own vegetables. For this reason, they started developing and optimizing greenhouses, seeking maximum productivity and capacity.

Although the product itself is a technological innovation, we believe their major innovation is the unification of two cultures that are sometimes perceived as antaganostic in this region: the traditional world of vegetable growing and the modern world of domotics. By bringing together greenhouse farming and a highly specialized and self-sufficient computer system, iOgreenhouse offers the possibility of fresh product to families with little time and space.

Inspiration

The inspiration for this innovation was this group of friends´desire to eat natural, fresh and healthy food produced locally. They wanted to give the same opportunity to as many people as possible, and also create a community of like-minded domestic growers.

Juan Perú explained it in our interview: "iOgreenhouse is not only a product related to technology, it is a way of life. We are a team of engineers, biologists and growing enthusiasts who realized people around the world, including ourselves, want to change their way of eating: society wants to eat healthier and fresher."

But the founders of the company soon realized home growing is sometimes out of reach for many people, because, "Not all of us know have both the time and knowledge to do it."

iOgreenhouse wanted make it possible for families to produce and consume their own vegetables, so they decided to put their idea into action and "create an automated domestic grow system so that anyone can grow whichever vegetables they want!"

They made the system easy, intuitive, and even remote-controlled, so that families can manage their own greenhouse from anywhere. But their company is not only about a product, it's about a way of life they want to share with others. To that end, iOgreenhouse has created a community where people can share their experiences, knowledge, recipes, post pictures, and so much more.

Overall impact

The overall impact of this innovation is to facilitate domestic consumption of vegetables by making greenhouse use easier and more accessible to everyone. The innovation is also very environmentally oriented, because the greenhouses use solar energy, and "recycle" and store rain to help water the vegetables.

In Navarra, crops and agriculture are a very important part of the economy, but agriculture has become highly professionalized and most people have little contact with it. By using the iOgreenhouse domestic grow system, individuals or families with little knowledge of farming can grow their own fresh produce. Even busy professionals who are often on the go can use the remote control to manage their own greenhouse. iOgreenhouse also creates a community where people can share their stories, experiences and discoveries related to their greenhouses. As a result, the desire to grow vegetables while also helping the environment increases. This greenhouse allows the society to connect again with Earth: you don't have to live on the outskirts, for example, to be able to grow several different vegetables, you are now able to do so in your own home.

In the long and short run, people will be able to grow their own fresh vegetables. This will help both people's lifestyles (since they''ll be eating healthier), and also the environment (because the greenhouses are designed to be environmentally friendly).

Business benefit

Since the business has not been running for a lot of time, success has been limited when talking about national achievements. Still, important investors and buyers from Israel came all the way to Pamplona, Navarra, to look at the greenhouses, and they were highly interested.

iOgreenhouse is not only composed of a tech team and engineers, the business is also composed of a biologist and a nutritionist. The reason for this is that they want to offer a completely healthy product. While the business sells greenhouses, they are also able to sell seeds to grow vegetables. The biologist is in charge of this: she makes sure the seeds customers want to plant are able to grow in their greenhouse, meaning she is able to tell customers if the vegetables they want to plant are able to grow at the same time (since of them cannot grow next to each other, for example). On the other hand, the nutritionist is able to offer her services. She does so by offering some meal ideas/programs, information about vegetables and their benefits, and recommending which vegetables to plant depending on the customer's desires. All of this also benefits the business because it proves they care about the customers and illustrates the values they have.

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Social and environmental benefit

This innovation benefits both society and the environment. It helps society in the sense that it allows everyone to grow their own vegetables. This allows people to have a better, healthier lifestyle. Also, iOgreenhouse pointed out how this innovation can help teach children by showing them how to take care of living things (plants), how to grow fresh vegetables, and also how to recycle and take care of the environment.

Additionally, the environment is greatly benefited thanks to the fact that this greenhouse allows solar energy to be used and rain to be recycled. In addition, it prevents the use of pesticides or other chemicals that could otherwise damage the soil and natural resources.

Today in history, our society desires to eat healthier while also protecting the environment. This can all be achieved with iOgreenhouse.

Interview

Juan Perú, Founder / (Purchasing)