Urbotanica

Urbotanica™ was founded in Perth, Australia in July 2014 on the principles of bringing the wonders and knowledge of the Botanical world to an urban environment. In our rapidly urbanising populations, the connection to the land and the food that we eat is being lost, but there is no reason that this has to continue, and nobody wants this to continue, which is demonstrated by an ever increasing number of conscious consumers actively seeking ways to address the war on waste, sustainable living, food supplies, water conservation, reducing food miles and single use plastic production. All issues that Urbotanica, like Eden Tree Eco, is on a mission to help address.

The idea for the UrbiPod™ (Urbotanicas’ flagship product) was born after likeminded co-founders Ray Hart, Greg Wheeler & Neale Anderson came together and combined their wealth of business, horticultural and micro gardening design experience, to develop and take to market an easy growing solution, able to work in any urban home environment. They identified that many people want to grow at home but don’t know how to, or don’t have the time/space required for conventional gardening and are tired of killing plants and/or wasting hundreds of dollars on expensive & soggy herbs from the supermarket. Thus, the idea for the UrbiPod™ was born. Urbotanica’s first product which allows consumers to successfully grow fresh herbs, microgreens, salads & flowers in the convenience of their kitchen all year-round.

It quickly became apparent there was the potential for this simple urban smart garden solution to expand beyond just helping people simply grow things in their homes. It could also be the catalyst for positive global change in the way we all experience fresh nutritious food, reduce wastage and reliance on precious resources while helping reconnect people with the natural growing process.

• Grow fresh food where & when you want it. Reducing food miles & packaging waste, whilst increasing the freshness of food we cook with.
• Help educate children on how to grow their own food.
• Keep growing easy & accessible no matter where you live or how much space you have.
• Ensure successful natural simple growing while producing adequate amounts of fresh herbs, salads, flowers & fruits.
• Be stylish and contemporary in design.
• Enable people to experiment with what & how they grow.

Today the Urbotanica team has expanded to include local entrepreneurs, product designers, university professors, social media creatives and global experts in all aspects of horticulture. Urbontaica continue their research and development in urban growing by expanding their ideas to create other innovative products that complement the UrbiPod™. Urbontanica’s team mantra of “Learn, Grow, Share” is predicated on the knowledge of the botanical world transferring to the brownest of thumbs anywhere, and then being shared with their loved ones, and the broader community.

Using energy efficient LED grow lights, irrigation technologies to reduce water use by up to 90% and automated fertigation delivery, UrbiPod™ takes the guesswork out of growing. The Urbotanica mobile pods are unique and larger than competitors' and will produce plenty of fresh produce to keep you cooking like a master chef. Everything you need is in the box and their Aussie support team is on hand for help and advice.

Urbontanica are proud to manufacture the UrbiPod locally right here in Australia, proving the concept that it’s not necessary to outsource production overseas in order to have a successful product, but to the contrary doing so has resulted in many benefits, not least including supporting local jobs, reduced shipping costs and greater quality control. They are also very proud to be using the Activ Foundation, a disability workshop, in Perth who do a fantastic job assembling the UrbiPods.

Urbontanica found a great partner in PMT manufacturing in Perth, Western Australia. Adrian and his team have been very helpful; coming up with clever ideas to reduce costs and improve the UrbiPod's functionality. 

Now as a brand leader in the global urban agtech consumer market, Urbontanica’s mission is to empower people through technology & knowledge to re-connect with the joy & happiness of growing at home whilst helping the planet at the same time. They have some guiding principles to help them run the business. Because for them it’s not just about what they make or do, it’s also how they do it. They:

• Strive to maximise the use of eco-friendly or recyclable products to minimise their environmental footprint - less food miles, less food and packaging waste.
• Venture to empower inexperienced growers through education to allow them to grow and enjoy their ow fresh food.
• Actively support local businesses, community programs and social initiatives.

Having now earned the title of Australia's leading Indoor Smart Garden in Australia, Urbotanica are ready to expand and take the qualities of Australian innovation, horticulture expertise and a proven product to the global market.

Urbontanica are ready to help people everywhere be more self sustainable, some might say “Just Add Water” and watch them GROW!

We (Candice & Dan) LOVE our UrbiPod. It sits on our kitchen bench and provides us with literally the freshest salads possible straight to our plates. We also delight in using ours to propagate seeds to transplant to our outside garden and veggie patches.  We'd be more than happy to share our personal experience with you and answer any questions you might have.  Learn more about the UrbiPod here.