Behind The Scenes

Our Story

In late 2018, Jeff received a call from some contacts in South Florida. With a reputation of  solving complex issues, he was presented with a problem in regard to containerized vertical farming. The inherent problem-solver in Jeff dove right in. He traveled to Florida and spent several days meeting different people and visiting sites, ultimately coming to the conclusion that he could provide the solution. Upon his arrival back home, Jeff immediately dug into designing and developing a prototype of the machine that would maximize intelligent growth. It quickly became evident that no off-the-shelf parts were sufficient. Specially designed coils, along with very sophisticated programming would be required to control such a delicate environment to the precision needed. Jeff reached out to his long-time friend and registered engineer, Brian Mathis. Together, they collaborated on the operational requirements of the system. While Brian focused on the computer programming, Jeff continued engineering all of the hardware to facilitate heating, cooling, and dehumidification. During the development of the system, it became evident that the lighting and watering sequences should be integrated to facilitate a completely seamless growing environment. After hundreds of hours burning the midnight oil on the CAD software, drawings were sent to the shop floor for laser cutting and press braking. In February of 2019, when testing and development were completed, the first production model emerged; and thus, iGroTec was born. Since then, the Fodder Select Series, produced for The Fodder Group Inc., has now been deployed in multiple locations ranging from Barbados, California, Florida, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, to Maryland, just to name a few. The hydroponically sprouted barley now being harvested from the Fodder Group’s indoor farms is nothing short of remarkable. Today, after implementing an iGroTec ECU (environmental control unit,) The Fodder Group has increased production at a lower seed input and is now outperforming all competitors. Given the complexity of the machine and the level of precision it provides, it is being sought by multiple markets including; barley, alfalfa, lettuces, microgreens, hemp, and other facets of CBD products. Continued research and development are at the forefront of iGroTec’s mission. Simply stated, iGroTec is intelligent growth for the future.