S4E42: Rosario Iacono - What a Tomato Should Be

Episode Summary

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show Rosario Iacono. Rosario is the Founder of Kasveista, a concept stage startup aiming to produce open-source seeds and seedlings for vertical farming. Their goal is to help modern vertical farms expand their range of products by providing seeds and seedlings of tomato of varieties specifically selected for vertical farming.

Today, Harry and Rosario talk about the incredible work Rosario is doing at Kasveista and why he chose to focus on the tomatoes as his first crop. Rosario talks about the incredibly vast varieties of tomatoes and shares tips for those who want to grow tomatoes at home. They explain the open source model and why it’s critical to Rosario’s business. Finally, Rosario talks about what’s next for Kasveista, what excites him about the future and how we can educate the masses on vertical farming.

Episode Sponsor

CULTIVATD

Freight Farms

Key Takeaways

05:02 – Harry welcomes to the show Rosario Iacono, who joins the show to discuss his company, Kasveista, and his vertical farming origin story
11:13 – The incredible vast variety of tomatoes
16:18 – Tips for people growing tomatoes at home
17:01 – What Rosario has discovered about tomatoes throughout the years
20:54 – Intensive research and experimentation in vertical farming
28:24 – Rosario’s team at Kasveista
31:59 – The Open Source Model explained and why it is so critical
39:44 – Surprises and challenges from Rosario’s vertical farming journey
44:27 – What’s next for Kasveista
47:54 – Something Rosario has changed his mind about recently
51:52 – Harry thanks Rosario for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can learn more about Kasveista and connect with Rosario