Vertical Pastures – Cultivate 2022 Participant Update

Tasmanian small business owner Peter Handy is revolutionising salad and herb propagation by harnessing the power of a unique hydroponic method based in a shipping container. Peter’s upright, soilless growing technique is not only environmentally friendly; it enables growth 365 days a year and has allowed the supply of salads and herbs to continue throughout Australia’s recent difficult farming circumstances.

Last week Vertical Pastures showed the Minister for Small Business, Advanced Manufacturing and Defence Industries, Science and Technology, The Hon. Minister Madeline Ogilvie and Seedlab Tasmania CEO & Founder Dr Hazel McTavish-West around their premises in Battery Point.

For Peter, the invaluable help and support he needs to upscale to accommodate for his booming business will come from Seedlab Tasmania’s Cultivate Accelerator program, which began earlier this month. A graduate of Seedlab’s 2020 Bootcamp, Peter credits the program with helping him get started.

The urban farm, the first of it’s kind in the Southern Hemisphere is now using the Cultivate Program to get help in upscaling and continuing with the fast growth that they are experiencing.

The Minister toured the premises and met with Seedlab Tasmania to see just how Cultivate is assisting Tasmanian businesses to fast-track business development and helping entrepreneurs advance to the next stage of their business life-cycle.