SIMSBURY, Conn. — Zania Johnson and Manny Marte began Micro2Life five years ago, and as their crops have grown, so too has their message -- and their business plans.
Johnson and Marte, both UConn graduates, are trendsetters in the state and the country; According to the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, only two percent of farmers in the U.S. are black.
"It’s definitely a privilege to be a young farmer of color," said Johnson.
Micro2Life specializes in growing leafy greens-- think collard greens, Bok Choi, and Kale -- and more exotic items like Jamaican Pumpkins from their two-acre plot in Simsbury complete with fields and greenhouses.
"There is not many people that are black farmers or Hispanic farmers like me, so we are just really proud to really represent our community and bring those different crops to the community as well," said Marte.
Johnson and Marte sell to local restaurants, they provide vegetables to Hartford Public Schools, and recently inked a deal to send their produce to Connecticut Foodshare.
"There’s a lot of love here, there’s a lot of hard work that’s put into the ground here… we want to be able to inform other farmers of color that you can grow and there are opportunities to grow," Johnson said.
To follow Micro2Life on Instagram go to @micro2life_microgreens
Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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