A hydroponic vertical farm in Irvine is ‘a playground for chefs’

In a nondescript Sky Park Circle office space in Irvine, a hydroponic vertical farm called Malaia’s Microgreens is part of a quiet revolution in farming.

Owners Malaia Martinez, and Jaebin Yoo, both 22, say that their farm yields nearly 400 pounds of organic produce a week. It’s 90% more water efficient than traditional farms and uses significantly less space. In just two years, the duo have cultivated a group of chefs who enlist them to provide grown-to-order organic specialty produce.

As a region, Irvine has historical roots in agriculture. Beginning in World War II, the Irvine Ranch alone operated as one of the largest and most productive farming businesses in California. In a way, Malaia’s Microgreens acts as this generation’s agricultural enterprise. Yoo and Martinez believe their enterprise is the future of farming.

“We have over a hundred different varieties of microgreens growing right now,” says Malaia Martinez. “Since it’s in a controlled environment, we’re not subject to weather issues. If chefs want a product that can’t be grown during cooler times, we can emulate that climate and make sure it’s growing year round.”

Martinez explains that the process starts in a seeding lab, which resembles a laboratory more than a potting room. Glass jars are neatly labeled with seed varieties such as basil, cilantro, dill and parsley.

Martinez indicates that most of the action occurs in a futuristic-looking white room located in the back of the office. Here is where the microgreens and edible flowers grow. The space looks nothing like a traditional farm. It’s climate controlled and illuminated with bright white lights. Neatly lined rows of plants are stacked orderly in grow trays and stored on white shelves. There’s not a hint of fertilizer nor a single bug. Malaia’s microgreens also opts not to use traditional soil.

“We don’t have any soil,” says Martinez. “It comes from coconut husk.”

Everything is vertically stacked to save space. Conservation is a big part of this operation. A water reservoir allows Martinez and Yoo to test the farm’s water pH.

“Everything is at the right levels to benefit the plants,” she says. Yoo, who set up the filtration system, also does the farm’s plumbing and the maintenance work.

“Our whole system is very water efficient,” Yoo says. “Every single drop of water that goes out — what’s not being absorbed by the plant gets 100 percent absorbed into our system. So everything gets cleaned, filtered and reused. We save every droplet we can. We don’t have any runoff water.”

Yoo figures out ways to make the system more water efficient and Martinez is in charge of the planting.

“She’s always been the one with a green thumb,” Yoo says. “Even from the moment I met her, she always had a thing for plants. She even had things growing in her dorm room.”

That passion led Martinez and Yoo to open a small farmers market stand in 2020. They started out small and sold Certified Organic microgreens, then leafy greens and edible flowers. At the time, Martinez was a student at Vanguard University. She graduated a year early to focus on the company.

It’s come a long way. Now Malaia’s Microgreens looks like a hi-tech sci-fi lab. But it all started out in a second-hand shed located in their neighbor’s backyard. Yoo and Martinez scaled up to growing in her garage but that wasn’t sustainable either. So in May, Yoo and Martinez signed the lease for this Irvine space. After months of construction, they hosted a grand opening celebration Nov. 9.

“We want to be a playground for chefs,” says Martinez. “We want them to come in and we can really specialize in products for them.” She walks by rows of eye-catching pink amaranth and red-veined sorrel to a row of green plants. Martinez runs her fingers across the tops. “These are our nasturtiums. They look like little lily pads,” she says. “They have a peppery, spicy flavor.” Martinez then walks towards another tray. “Here, we have our oxalis, which is really popular with chefs.”

A handful of local chefs use Malaia’s microgreens. In Orange County, the list includes Gabby’s Kitchen in Orange, CHAAK in Tustin, Solstice Restaurant, and Porch & Swing in Irvine.

“Everything is grown to order, we don’t grow in bulk,” says Yoo. Chefs place specific orders and the farm delivers exactly what they want. Each crop meets their clients’ desired specifications in color, size, and flavor. “Chefs will say we want watercress or nasturtium. Or we want the leaves to be this big or small. We have the power to change that. So we grow specifically for our clients.”

If chefs can’t find an ingredient, they ask Malaia’s to grow it just for them.

“For Gabby’s, she wanted a traditional spice that’s mostly grown in the Yucatan in Mexico,” says Martinez. “So she asked, ‘Can you source that seed for us and start growing it?’ That’s something we are really trying to do. That’s what’s cooler and customizable about the farm. We work with heirloom seed farms and it’s all about doing the research.”