True Leaf Market
True Leaf Market is an certified organic seed and horticultural company based in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It markets under various brands, the largest of which is Mountain Valley Seed Company. As one of the major seed suppliers in Utah, True Leaf Market specializes in supplying non-GMO seeds, microgreen supplies, and wheatgrass supplies.[1]
| True Leaf Market | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | Logan, Utah (1974) by Demetrios Agathangelides |
| Headquarters | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Key people | Robb Baumann, Lance Heaton, Kaitlin Jones, and Parker Garlitz (company owners)[1][2] |
| Area served | worldwide |
| Industry | Horticulture, Agriculture |
| Products | seeds, microgreens, gardening supplies, sprouting supplies, fermenting and home canning supplies |
| Contact | support@trueleafmarket.com |
| Reference | True Leaf Market |
Although True Leaf Market had started as a traditional vendor and supplier, today a large portion of True Leaf Market's sales is derived from its online store.
True Leaf Market is also part of the International Sprout Growers Association (ISGA).
History
True Leaf Market was founded as Mountain Valley Seed Company in Logan, Utah in 1974[3] by Demetrios Agathangelides, a Greek-American plant geneticist at Utah State University who was doing research on plant varieties adapted to environments with high altitudes and short growing seasons.[1] The company has since grown and merged with other companies, and has been renamed as True Leaf Market.[4] As of 2014, True Leaf Market is owned and managed by Robb Baumann, Lance Heaton, Kaitlin Jones, and Parker Garlitz.[1][2] Today, True Leaf Market remains as one of the few hundred independently owned seed companies in the United States, due to mass consolidation of seed companies by giant agribusinesses taking place over the decades.[1]
Leadership
The four co-CEOs of True Leaf Market are currently:[5]
- Robb Baumann
- Lance Heaton
- Kaitlin Jones
- Parker Garlitz
Brands
True Leaf Market brands include the following.[3]
- Mountain Valley Seed Company
- Handy Pantry Sprouting[6] (sprouting supplies)
- Wheatgrass Kits[7] (wheatgrass supplies)
- Bloom Master[8] (hanging baskets and other growing supplies)
- Stack and Grow[9]
- Living Whole Foods
- Trellis + Co.[10] (fermenting and sprouting supplies)
These brands were the results of various acquisitions over the years. The plethora of True Leaf Market brands provides horticulturalists and planters from around the world with various specialized niche products to suit their needs.
Mountain Valley Seed Company
Mountain Valley Seed Company, the oldest True Leaf Market brand, was originally founded in 1974.[3] It was originally founded by Demetrios Agathangelides. After Mountain Valley Seed Company acquired various companies and brands over the years, it was eventually included under the True Leaf Market umbrella.
Mountain Valley Seed Company is one of the few hundred independent seed companies remaining in the United States, and is dedicated to providing high-quality, non-genetically modified seeds that can be trusted by horticulturalists and commercial agriculturalists alike to produce quality organic produce and plants.
Handy Pantry Sprouting
Handy Pantry Sprouting provides sprouting products.[6] Handy Pantry has been providing organic sprouting seeds and sprouting supplies for over 40 yeasr,[6] while Handy Pantry Distribution has been supplying retailers for over 25 years.[11]
Products sold under True Leaf Market's Handy Pantry brand include the following.[6]
- Sprouting kits
- Organic sprouting seeds
- Seed sprouters
- Organic sprouting seed assortments
- Seed assortments
- Sprouting supplies
- Wheatgrass kits (for customers to grow their own wheatgrass)
- wheatgrass juicers (to make wheatgrass juice)
- Sprouting books and media
Wheatgrass Kits
WheatgrassKits.com, now part of TrueLeafMarket.com, provides kits for growing wheatgrass.[7]
Products range from grains to growing supplies, refills, juicers, and books. Hydroponic equipment and kits are also offered for growing wheatgrass hydroponically, meaning that the wheatgrass is grown in water without any soil.
Bloom Master
Bloom Master is a True Leaf Market brand that includes hanging baskets and many other types of growing supplies. Bloom Master hanging baskets can be used to grow flowers, edible vegetables, ornamental plants, and many other kinds of plants.[8]
Since True Leaf Market Bloom Master baskets and planters can be easily set up, they are highly well-known among customers for their ease of use and utility.[12]
Bloom Master products include:[8]
- Hanging Baskets
- Planter Box
- Tree Stand
- Wire Hanger
- Planter Box Brackets
Stack and Grow
Stack and Grow features specialized growing supplies that allow plants to be stacked.[9] These include expandable trays that can be stacked for up to 8 levels.[13]
Living Whole Foods
Living Whole Foods was originally owned by co-CEO's Kaitlin Jones and Parker Garlitz. They eventually merged with Mountain Valley Seed Company. Living Whole Foods continues to sell products through True Leaf Market, primarily wheatgrass, herbs, mushrooms, garden equipment, juicers, and tofu making kits.[14]
Trellis + Co.
Trellis + Co. provides fermenting equipment and kits, as well as sprouting supplies.[10]
Trellis + Co. was founded by Josh, Jill, and their two daughters' homestead in rural western United States. With their kitchen as a greenhouse and their living quarters in a sheep wagon, Trellis + Co.'s headquarters started out in upcycled shipping containers. Today, Trellis + Co. is a provider of many different types of fermenting and sprouting equipment.[10]
Products
True Leaf Market products are highly diverse, with a focus on high-quality non-GMO products that maintain the company's unique image as an "organic" independent company providing quality products for dedicated horticulralists. Some of True Leaf Market's products include:[15]
- Non-GMO seeds (for planting flowers, vegetables, herbs, cover crops, etc.)[15][16]
- Sprouting seeds for growing microgreens and other vegetables and plants[17]
- Kits for microgreens (leaf vegetable|vegetable green, harvested after sprouting as shoots)[18]
- Wheatgrass seeds, kits, juicers, and supplies[7]
- Gardening supplies: fertilizers, composting supplies, greenhouses, growing equipment, etc.
- Mason jar accessories, including fermenting kits[10], canning supplies, and sprouting lids[6]
Other products include mushroom grow kits, cover crops, and even skin care products and .
The company also sells its products with major retailers and wholesalers, including Costco.[19]
Planting Points
True Leaf Market's Loyalty Rewards Program is known as Planting Points.[20] Planting Points allow for members to save money on their next purchases. The more that members spend, the more they also save. Three distinct titles are applied to members:
- Hobbyists earn 1 point for every dollar spent, and spend less than $250 in the course of a year (January 1-December 31 of any year).
- Gardeners earn 2 points for every dollar spent, and spend between $250 and $1,000 in the course of a year.
- Farmers earn 3 points for every dollar spent, and spend over $1,000 in the course of a year.
Additionally, points can be earned through social media sharing, review writing, friend referrals, and other activities helping to promote the company.
Community engagement
True Leaf Market is highly engaged with the local community, hosting widely-known special family events and college scholarships for talented students. This level of community engagement is unique among independent American seed companies, since True Leaf Market hosts unusual events such as the annual Ginormous Pumpkin Regatta (a "pumpkin boating" festival unique to South Jordan, Utah).[21]
Ginormous Pumpkin Regatta
One of True Leaf Market's brands, Mountain Valley Seed Company, hosts the annual Ginormous Pumpkin Regatta at Oquirrh Lake in South Jordan, Utah every October.[21] During the regatta, giant pumpkins are seen floating all over Oquirrh Lake as people use them as canoes or kayaks. This annual mid-October pre-Halloween event has allowed True Leaf Market to integrate into the local Salt Lake City area community and make itself well-known as a community-focused, family-oriented company.
Demetrios Agathangelides Scholarship
True Leaf Market also offers scholarships opportunities for students,[22] including the Demetrios Agathangelides Scholarship.[23] The scholarship is named after True Leaf Market's founder Demetrios Agathangelides, who was a dedicated plant geneticist based at Utah State University during the 1970s. It is an annual $1,000 scholarship that is offered to a few select students interested in pursuing studies in the agricultural sciences.
References
- ^ a b c d e Utah’s Mountain Valley Seed Company
- ^ a b True Leaf Market - Utah's Own (Utah Department of Agriculture and Food)
- ^ a b c True Leaf Market company information
- ^ Mountain Valley Seed Company
- ^ https://catalystmagazine.net/utah-s-mountain-valley-seed-company/
- ^ a b c d e Handy Pantry
- ^ a b c WheatgrassKits.com
- ^ a b c Bloom Master
- ^ a b Stack & Grow planters
- ^ a b c d Trellis + Co.
- ^ Handy Pantry wholesale information
- ^ How to Plant Your Bloom Master
- ^ Stack and Grow instructions
- ^ Living Whole Foods profile on Inc.
- ^ a b Good Seeds (Devour Utah)
- ^ Mountain Valley Seed
- ^ Growing Microgreens and Sprouts Part 3: Growing and Eating (KUED, Utah State University)
- ^ Microgreens: Harvest for all seasons
- ^ Non-GMO trend hits the seed industry (The Organic & Non-GMO Report)
- ^ True Leaf Market's Loyalty Rewards Program
- ^ a b Thousands show up for annual Ginormous Pumpkin Regatta in South Jordan (ABC 4)
- ^ True Leaf Market Scholarship (Pennsylvania State University)
- ^ True Leaf Market scholarships