S3E28: Robert Laing - Farms of the Future
Episode Summary
Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show founder, leader and author, Robert Laing. Rob is the Founder and CEO at Farm.One, an organization that has reinvented specialty farming, and now supplies some of the best chefs in New York. In this episode, Harry and Rob discuss Rob’s background in design and how Rob’s entrepreneurial drive led him to launch Farm.One. Rob talks about how the pandemic impacted his business and how he was able to pivot to different business models to combat those challenges. Rob shares the work he and his organization are doing to help underrepresented groups as well as the work they’re doing with Google to address sustainability.
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Key Takeaways
- 03:22 – Harry welcomes to the show Rob Laing, Founder and CEO of Farm.One, who talks about his roots and his passion for food
- 13:56 – Rob speaks to his background in design and his entrepreneurial spirit
- 18:54 – The origin story of Farm.One
- 25:10 – Rob talks about the strategic decision to pursue higher end restaurants as customers
- 27:57 – What Rob would do differently about building Farm.One if given the chance
- 31:49 – Rob speaks to the incredible response he’s received on his products from New York City chefs
- 37:10 – Rob shares sustainability work he’s been doing with Google to address plastics in the environment
- 40:35 – Challenges Rob and his organization had to overcome amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and how the pandemic changed his business approach
- 54:00 – Rob speaks to what inspired him to start his podcast and what excites him about future initiatives of Farm.One
- 56:35 – Harry thanks Rob for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can connect with him
Tweetable Quotes
“There’s so much creativity around food in New York City.” (13:38)
Links Mentioned
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Mentioned in this episode:
Indoor AgCon 2025