Produce On Demand was founded in 2017 by R. Michael Buehler (CEO).

POD is a grower of fresh, healthy, great tasting produce using advanced growing technology and automation. We offer joint venture partnerships to individuals looking to become the next generation of Agricultural Specialists – no matter their background or geography.

We have offices located in CA, GA, NV, TX, and DC.

The POD (Produce on Demand) is pre-engineered and assembled temporary or permanent turn-key hydroponic growing facility. A POD can be any size from 2000 sf to multi-acres. Growing environments can be anything from converted warehouses to massive greenhouses depending upon available land, zoning requirements, market demand, and available capital.

Anywhere in the world where water is available! The POD uses soilless agricultural growing methods and advanced environmental controls which comprise a turn-key agricultural system able to deliver consistent, nutritious, flavorful harvest yields regardless of the geographic area or climate.

To establish a 10,000 sf production complex requires a budget of $1.5 million dollars which is broken down into $400-500K in operating capital for the first year of operations and credit lines of $900K-$1.2M. Additionally, the ability to sign for a 7-10-year lease option for the land and capital improvements as identified above for growing systems and associated equipment and supplies.

Annual projected revenue of a POD is $1,250,000. Estimated annual operational costs are $850,000. A 5-year projected Income Statement is created for each market which provides a detailed breakdown of revenue and expense projections.

Yes. Financing is available for the majority of the POD Production Complex through 7-10 year leases and includes all growing systems and equipment. The $400-500K start-up capital requirement can be obtained locally as well as, through various funding platforms, subject to credit worthiness and market demand. Financing may be secured through outside sources and/or with the use of 3rd party personal guarantees. Click here to learn all about it.

A standard single-phase 110/220 volt 60 amp connection. As for the water, no hard-plumbing is necessary — just access to potable water. Various energy sources such as wind and solar can also be incorporated into the overall energy strategy.

Per 2,000 sf, the POD consumes on average 300-400 kWh of energy per day, or around 150,000 kWh annually. Electricity consumption can vary based on the climate that the POD is operating in.

The POD can be equipped with a backup generator for operations located in regions that frequently experience power outages.

Every POD is equipped with solar panels which is adequate to operate the growing environment at full capacity. Based on the amount of sunlight available within the geographical region solar configuration may vary.

Generally, a POD utilizes greenhouse technology where the sun serves as the primary sources for growing. However, the sun is enhanced or even replaced with high-efficiency LED lighting with deep red and blue hues that manufacture artificial sunlight. The lights automatically cycle on and off to simulate periods of day and night for the plants. Both the spectrum of light and day/night periods are optimized for healthy and vigorous plant growth.

Solar Electric Supply Panel (SES panel) is a 208 Volt 400-amp (may vary based on equiptment selection for the location) and is the main power source.

LED grow light power requirement is 7.6 watts per sf. at 200V or 88 amps per POD. Add amps for code compliance and the system requirements increase to 120-amps. Additionally, a 20-amp circuit is needed to operate water pumps (sump, fertigation, etc) which includes a 10-amp 1000GPH - assumed phased watering schedule. Air conditioning and heat is estimated at 40-amps (for 5 tons of redundancy requirements for air circulation and general operations which may vary based on location). It is recommended to have access to the electrical grid in the event that additional power is required and/or due to weather issues that affect the PODs solar generating capabilities.

PODs can grow a variety of leafy greens, micro-greens and other high-value crops including: herbs (mint, basil, oregano); lettuces (bibb, romaine, arugula); brassica (cabbage, mustard greens, brussels sprouts, kale), cherry tomatoes and more!

When operational, the POD is capable of producing yields at commercial-scale in any climate 365 days a year. Growing hydroponically and vertically inside a POD maximizes space for growing. Depending upon the crop variety, 7-14 growing cycles can be expected annually. Crops are consistent in size, shape and flavor.

All PODs are suitable for organic certification. Even without organic certification, POD crops are Non-GMO, herbicide and pesticide free, and are not harmful to soil structures since we’re a hydroponic closed environment system. Additionally, by providing locally grown produce, the carbon footprint is dramatically reduced by eliminating long-distance delivery methods.

A turn-key POD will be delivered with all growing and monitoring systems and equipment within 60 days of contract execution. Once the POD is delivered, complete set-up will take another 30 days. Planting will start around day 90. Most crop varieties will be ready for harvest in 30-45 days and made ready for market. Allow another 60 days (max) for collection of payment on crop sold.

To ensure the success of each of our POD operations, we offer online courses, classroom sessions, and in-POD mentoring which cover all operations of the POD, systems management, business planning, marketing and distribution. Since we are committed to use the latest in high-tech agricultural practices, on-going education and training will be made available as appropriate.

We work with local food distributors, wholesalers, restaurants, food co-ops and the direct to retail market all within a 250 mile radius.

Depending on the crop varieties, seeding, transplanting and harvesting routines, it is estimated that a team of 2-3 full-time and 2-3 part-time workers will be needed to successfully operate the smallest POD and staffing requirements are adjusted according to the size of the Production Complex.

While we wish there was a magic formula for this, honestly there are too many variables that prevent us from making a blanket statement on this. Our team will work with you on an individual basis to determine your unique opportunity. However, generally speaking, positive cash flow in month 7 of the first year.

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Options should focus on refrigerated trucks and sprinter vans. There is an excellent after market for these trucks that have come off of lease or are simply for sale. One preference is to lease a new truck and expand the fleet (likely with a smaller sprinter van) as needed. This will depend on your client mix (retail grocers, farmers markets, restaurants, DoD bases, Universities) and delivery preferences.

A recommended watering schedule is 2 hours on and 2 hours off utilizing 2 fertigation systems per POD. If watering is done in half for phasing, 1,020GPH is used.

Irrigation storage space for water is required since it will take time for the irrigation water to flow to the sump and get pumped back to the Ozone system for recycling into the fertigation system. It is recommended that two 330-gallon IBC totes (steel cage water tanks) are used for water storage. Using Manning's Flow calculations and taking into consideration that pipes will be filled half-way, to be conservative and to ensure that there is enough irrigation water on hand, the amount of irrigation water is doubled. An additional 10% water storage will take into account Ozone tanks and other equipment reaching approximately 720 gallons total.

There are several factors that determine the amount of water a POD uses such as plant variety and the size of the Production Complex. Based on a 2000 sf grow center, we estimate 1,600 gallons per day usage on average per POD. A standard residential volume of 6 to12 gallons per minute provides 8,000 to 16,000 gallons per day which is adequate to operate a POD.

Plant use (2% of pumped irrigation or 80GPH @ 10 hours per day (2 hours on 2 hours off) or 800G per day, which doubles for washing grow towers etc. to reach a total of 1,600G per day. The irrigation system circulates 1,020 GPH per POD; (2 to 2.5 GPH per tower for 1,600 towers with 2% system use/loss = 4,080 GPH/2 = 2,040 GPH per POD) should all towers be watered at the same time.

Waste water is kept to an absolute minimum by recycling, restoring and recharging used water. Additionally, the water source, how it is purified and how it is used in POD operations based on the produce being grown are all factors that will determine if there is any waste water. To accommodate any waste water, an auxiliary tank of 2,000 – 5,000 gallons may be used to store the grey water for backup systems or use in fire protection or any other appropriate purpose. It is recommended that the storage tanks have circulating systems with a bubbling Ozone before sending it to the water system in the POD. This will allow for water that may be softened with potassium for better cleaning and irrigation water that will be further purified.

The Ozone has a flocculating (process by which fine particulates are caused to clump together into a floc) effect on the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) so they will be picked up by a water filter. Ozone will also help eliminate any bacteria, iron, calcium etc. The POD features another smaller Ozone system to recycle the irrigation water and between the 2 systems TDS and pathogens are eliminated and avoid regular flushing along with back flushing since the TDS can be taken out with a change in filters.

In the event that there is any waste water that is considered contaminated, it will be removed on a periodic basis by a certified waste water removal company. This same process will be used to deal with any black water generated on the POD site.

Currently the waste water system used in a 2000 sf POD Production Complex is primarily Ozone. However, there is an option to add a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system to remove enough Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) buildup to avoid flushing if filtering the Ozonated water is not enough. If the system is flushed 1,440 gallons of irrigation water are affected. If water softeners and RO is used, additional waste streams will be created. Please note that waste water for worker sanitation or toilets are not included in waste water handling.