This polytechnic student’s microgreens project is now his major passion
The TL;DR: A school project has turned into a passion for Singapore Polytechnic student Shakti Kumaran Selvakumaran, who aims to spark an interest in self-grown food among Singaporeans.
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The microgreens can be harvested in seven days and refrigerated for up to two weeks.
ST PHOTO: CHARLOTE WONG
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What started as a school entrepreneurship project has become a passion and an ongoing business for Singapore Polytechnic (SP) Business Administration student Shakti Kumaran Selvakumaran.
Mr Kumaran, 19, runs Micro Munch, selling grow-it-yourself microgreens kits in three varieties – Microli (broccoli), Microot (beetroot) and Munchy Red (red radish) – at $6.90 each on its website.
Microgreens are tiny, young vegetable greens that fall between sprouts and baby leaf vegetables.
“(They are) organic, pesticide-free, and incredibly fresh. Plus, the process (of growing them) is rewarding – it gives you a sense of pride and satisfaction knowing you nurtured and harvested your own food,” Mr Kumaran said.
The microgreens can be harvested in seven days and refrigerated for up to two weeks. They need to be watered only every two days, and can be grown indoors without direct sunlight.
Doing his research online, he said he found that microgreens are three to four times more nutritious than regular vegetables.
Each kit provides enough for three to four meals for one person.
The microgreens have a “mild” and “subtle” taste, which leads Mr Kumaran to quip that this provides a business opportunity for him: “It is a great option for veggie haters,” he said.
Customers gave him feedback that the microgreens were best used in salads, sandwiches, pizzas, smoothies and soups.
He, too, went on to use it in dishes for his family, such as a chickpea salad – they enjoyed it as well.
Mr Shakti Kumaran believes that Micro Munch can be sustainable and profitable, and he hopes it can inspire greater appreciation for food in Singapore.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF EMIKO ONO
Idea rooted in his mind
When tasked to operate a business based on societal issues for a school project in April 2024, Mr Kumaran immediately thought of microgreens, which are aligned with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals of focusing on good health and well-being as well as responsible consumption and production.
He had his first experience growing microgreens when he received a microgreens kit while studying at ITE.
“All we had to do was put in the seeds, put the cocopeat (soil) and turn on the light for seven days, and it started sprouting... I was astonished by how it could grow into big sprouts in just seven days so easily, so I wanted to help first time growers have the ease of growing (their own food),” he said.
He also wanted to make microgreens more accessible to everyone, noting that they are often offered only in high-end restaurants. “It should not just be a luxury,” he said.
Chickpea salad made by Mr Shakti Kumaran Selvakumaran using Microli (broccoli) microgreens.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF SHAKTI KUMARAN SELVAKUMARAN
Mr Kumaran believes that Micro Munch can be sustainable and profitable, and he hopes it can inspire greater appreciation for food in Singapore.
“We see all the things happening around the world like global warming and disasters that happen caused by human mistakes,” he said. “But we can always do something different; it’s just the little things that count for me.”
Trial and error
After sourcing the seeds from a supplier, Mr Kumaran grew the plants from seeds to sprouts around six times to perfect the soil mix used in the kit.
His friend, Mr Terence Tam Jia Wei, 19, a landscape design and horticulture student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, helped him with the growing of the plants. The other members of Mr Kumaran’s project team mostly helped with marketing and sales.
The team also conducted four cooking sessions where they used the microgreens in dishes and taste-tested them to assess how well they enhanced the flavour and texture of dishes like salads and sandwiches.
In September, Mr Kumaran sold the first Micro Munch kits at a school event. But at $10 a kit, it was too expensive, his lecturers said.
Based on this and other feedback, the team revamped the product – reducing the size of the kit, making the instructional video on social media more visually appealing, and lowering the price to its current $6.90.
The Micro Munch team consists of 10 members from SP’s Business Administration course.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KIEFER NG YAN SWEE
Breaking even
Within three months of selling their first microgreens kit online and at school events, they broke even, making back the $1,000 seed funding from the polytechnic.
Most sales have come through word of mouth, with middle-aged and younger customers forming the bulk of the customers.
Said Mr Kumaran: “With increasing interest in healthy eating and growing plants, I think this business has a chance (to succeed).”
All proceeds will be donated to Unicef at the end of the module.
He aims to earn $1,300 by the end of January and earn $2,000 in profit by next June if his plans to continue Micro Munch as an online business proceed.
More information about Micro Munch can be found on its Instagram account ( @micro_munchsg
