Chris Fennell is a kid who actually likes to eat his vegetables.
The 11-year-old enjoys growing his vegetables, too.
“I like these vegetables!” the sixth-grader at Pine View Middle admitted freely. “They just taste great and they were pretty easy to grow — so I like eating these ones.”
He also loves selling the microgreens he grew himself for his now budding business, BabyGreens. It started as just a do-it-yourself project thanks to YouTube videos. But Fennell, who lives in Land O’ Lakes, turned it into a small business — complete with a website, a logo, business cards and even promoting himself on social media.
“Before this,” his mom, Amber, said, “I didn’t even know what a microgreen was, so I had to do a little research of my own, and then come to find out they’re easy to grow and very healthy and surprisingly tasty.”
Selling the veggies was her son’s idea.
“But we were very surprised by him coming to us with the whole business plan,” she added. “He made a website, business cards, a logo, had a business plan, wanting to get a credit card machine that worked on the phone — he had everything done and ready, like he was pitching it to an investor.
“And he figured that out all on his own.”
Microgreens are “baby” versions of certain vegetables and contain 40% more nutrients. Not to be confused with sprouts or shoots, they are harvested very soon after sprouting, rather than after the plant has matured to produce multiple leaves.
They are used as a nutrition supplement, a visual enhancement, and a flavor and texture addition. Microgreens are used to add sweetness and spiciness to foods, such as salads, soups, sandwiches, burgers and pizza.
Fennell grew microgreens of broccoli, radish and sunflower, then set up shop in the back of Wilderness Lake Preserve for potential customers to sample and buy.
Using a two-tray watering and growing system, it took Fennell about two weeks to grow his first batch.
“I saw some videos about growing them and thought it was really cool, and I knew they tasted really good, so I was thinking about growing them just to eat them,” he said. “But I also saw that people were selling them and making a lot of money, so I came up with the idea and asked my mom and started a business.”
The sixth-grader is a straight-A student, interested in science (he’s thinking about becoming a marine biologist, one day), so he’s always looking to experiment with new projects. He’s even in accelerated science classes, so when he starts high school, he’ll already have a high school credit.
He embraces the healthy lifestyle, especially as a kid who has undergone two major surgeries before he was even 5 years old. He had open-heart surgery at age 2 and brain stem surgery at age 3.
“He’s more into books and science and learning and always has been,” Amber said. “As an A student in advanced classes, he’s just killing it and absolutely making his mother proud.”
Fennell’s first business display on Feb. 18 went well, with several residents stopping by to taste samples and some purchasing a container of BabyGreens.
“People are really interested,” he said, “and a lot of people want to know what they are and how they taste on certain things.
“Everyone definitely likes trying them!”
People can give the tiny veggies a taste on April 1, when Fennell will be one of the vendors at Rosebud Continuum’s Spring Plant Sale. Fennell says there are more than 100 microgreens that can be cultivated. His next crop will include corn, peas, salad mix, arugula and wheatgrass.
He expects them to be a hit.
“I think once people try them, they’ll like them,” he said.
“It just takes one sample.”
BabyGreens
Where: Wilderness Lake Preserve neighborhood in Land O’ Lakes
Details: Chris Fennell grows microgreens sprouts and sells them out of his house or on special side-of-the-road displays on the weekends. Fennell, 11, next will be at the Rosebud Continuum’s Spring Plant Sale, 22843 Hale Road, in Land O’ Lakes, April 1 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring various local vendors.
Info: Visit BabyGreens.my.canva.site, call 727-687-0753, or email . Follow BabyGreens on social media on TikTok: @BabyGreens_business or on YouTube: @BabyGreens5.
Rosebud Continuum’s Spring Plant Sale
When: April 1, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: 22843 Hale Road, in Land O’ Lakes
Details: Fruit trees, fresh herbs and vegetables, local honey produced by bees at Rosebud, free tree grafting demos and more will all be on sale and display at this event featuring various local vendors.
Vendor space still available.
Info: Email or visit the Facebook event page at www.facebook.com/events/595648001932925.
Published March 08, 2023
