- 21-Dec-2014
OneSeed
Abstract
Nowadays, ingredient lists have become more cryptic than ever. Take a look at any food label and you won’t recognize any of the terms. Aspartame? Titanium Dioxide? We have all became disconnected with our food. What if we could change this? One Seed stemmed from a vision of a world where everyone with a window sill, balcony, or backyard can reconnect with their food through gardening. We accomplish this by providing a subscription based all-in-one gardening kit that is delivered to your doorstep with three already sprouted plants. For every growth cycle, we send you a box with soil and seeds that are all ready to grow. On our website, our gardeners can view recipes to cook their food and gardening informational videos. The product also comes with an app that will remind you to water your plants. Our target niche is the millennials; research shows that food gardening for millennials is an emerging $1.2 billion industry with a 13% annual growth rate. We aim to reach this niche through advertising on social networking sites, demo-ing at farmer markets and craft fairs, and outreaching to influential foodie bloggers. One Seed is a company that is not only geared for profit, but also gives back to people. 5% of proceeds go to sponsor inner city gardens that feed underprivileged youth. The ease of use, giving back to the community, 100% satisfaction guarantee, and our huge growth vision make One Seed a powerful product that can start a movement, one seed at a time.
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Additional Questions
Who is your customer?
We have three market niches. Primarily we are aiming for the millennials who care about sustainability and are health conscious. Our second market niche are the people who shop at the Camp, the Lab, and farmer's markets; people who support local businesses, care about the vision behind the products, and care about eco-friendly products. Our third market niche are the elderly in senior homes. They would benefit from having the convenient delivery aspect of our product. Studies have also showed that when the elderly are exposed to gardening, their physical and mental health goes up. We want to brand the subscription boxes as gifts.
What problem does this idea/product solve or what market need does it serve?
The problem the product seeks to solve is the disconnection between consumers and their food. With all the talk on GMOs, chemical pesticides, and health risks of processed foods, eating healthy has become on peoples' consciousness. OneSeed differentiates itself by not only encouraging people to buy local but also to encourage them to try and grow their foods locally as well. Home improvement stores do sell kits but their general market niche is the experienced gardeners. Thus, most of their supplies are sold in bulk: huge bags of soils, different types of fertilizers, and seed catalogs. It can be overwhelming. OneSeed aims to simplify gardening, to make it convenient, and also to give back to the community through community garden scholarships.
What attributes will make this idea/product successful? Why do you believe that those features will create success?
These three attributes differentiates OneSeed from the rest: convenient delivery, subscription based, and its vision of growing communities. With the starter kit and the replenishment kits both being delivered to the customers' doorsteps, they can begin growing without even stepping outside their homes. Especially for the elderly, this can be an advantage. The fact that it's subscription based and seasonally delivered enables people to grow vegetables all year round at a low cost. And finally, OneSeed has the larger vision to cultivate resilient local food systems. Not only does the company encourage people to grow food in their homes, but 5% of the revenue will go toward supporting community gardens in the inner city that will help feed underprivileged youth.
Explain how you (your team) will execute to make this idea/product successful? What gives you (your team) an advantage over others already in the market or new to this market?
My team has a great well rounded ecosystem of varying talents and skills: marketing, business, website development, gardening expertise, and product design. The most important aspect of a start up is having a vision worth working for. The vision of a sustainable local food system where people can easily start growing their own food is something larger than the product and motivates the team to achieve it. The advantage that we have is the complete package of a product: subscription based, the larger vision of sustainability, giving back to the community, and novelty.