Kingsville’s Ortaliza has good things growing

KINGSVILLE — Good things are growing in Kingsville, as Ortaliza Urban Indoor Vertical Farm opened their doors recently in the heart of downtown.

Owners Carina Biacchi and Alvaro Fernandes, have found a niche market that has locals buzzing about the taste and freshness of their product.

Born and raised in Brazil, the couple came to Canada in 2016 and settled in the Kitchener-Waterloo area before Alvara took a job with a greenhouse operation here.

“We’ve always had this dream,” said Carina. “We wanted to start growing microgreens on a larger scale.”

When Alvaro’s place of employment closed their doors a few months ago, the couple decided to dive head first into microgreen farming.

“Microgreens are a superfood,” says Carina. “This stage of a plant’s life has the most nutrient density.”

Microgreens are basically baby vegetable and herb plants, harvested in the stage of life that gives the most health benefits.

An added attraction is that they also carry the most taste at that stage of life.

The couple has their Main Street shop set up with racks loaded with trays of growing greens, from radish, to carrot, arugula, basil and so much more.

“We have 25 different microgreens currently,” added Alvaro. “We’re starting small and adding new greens as we grow.”

The couple opened on March 19 and sold completely out of their fresh greens within a week. They had to close for a few days to give them time to grow a new crop.

Alvaro Fernandes and Carina Biacchi welcome you to Ortaliza Urban Indoor Vertical Farm in Kingsville.

Sun photo

“It usually takes between 10 and 15 days for microgreens to grow from planting to harvesting,” said Alvaro.

They harvest everything by hand and only harvest enough to supply that day’s expected demand. They will also harvest a certain variety if someone comes to the store and needs on-the-spot harvesting.

For those that have had microgreens in a salad, they want you to know that they are not just for salads.

“We top every dish with microgreens,” said Carina. “We do omelettes, pizza and even burgers topped with microgreens.”

The versatility of the greens allows for them to be used in any type of cooking, or just eaten as a snack.

“The sunflower microgreens, for instance, have a very nutty taste,” said Carina. “They are great for snacking.”

The couple is also using the mustard microgreens on their hotdogs, which provide the same taste as conventional mustard, but also packs a bunch of nutrients.

"It’s all about food diversity,” said Carina.

The greens are planted in a peat moss substrate, which allows for quick growth, and they are pesticide-free.

Shelf life is very good after harvest if they are kept refrigerated.

Ortaliza just started up an online ordering platform and also has a subscription program where they will deliver an assortment of microgreens to any home in Windsor-Essex.

Delivery is free and right now, they are giving a 20 per cent discount on the subscription program.

You can find them online at www.ortaliza.ca or stop in at their store at 25 Main Street West, Unit 1 during business hours.

They are open Tuesday through Friday 11-5 and Saturdays 10-2.