Originated from the process of attempting to solve the problem of abundant food waste without proper management. We started at Center One department store, where the management, Mr. Ratchapon, was genuinely concerned about and focused on proper food waste management and had a vision for an environmentally conscious business.
We tried to eliminate food waste by using a machine Cowtec to handle the food scraps. This resulted in a large quantity of compost, but we didn’t know how to utilize the compost. Thus, a small group was formed, but the farm was not successful at first. This is where Phase 1 began.
K. Pareena (Pareena Prayukvong), drove the network operation of the Sustainable Development Network Association, a non-profit organization with diverse capabilities. And K.Joke (Thanakorn Jirakamonchuen) was an expert in waste management and transformation of food waste into planting material (currently managing the farm). We provided consulting to the management of Center One and tried to find a solution to close the loop in food waste management. We consulted with K.Sudhep, an experienced expert in soil preparation for organic farming, to establish the initial foundation for the venture. At that time, K.Paeena and I couldn't carry out the operations alone, so we recruited a team. K.Suksan (Suksan Kieaphap) was the first person we invited, K.Smart (Kritsada Noibuddi) who had expertise engineer who specialized in engineering. The next person was K.Pong (Atapol Nipatnorachai), who had expertise in sales and marketing. Then came Poh (Somthap Rattanamontrichai), skilled in financial management and cash flow management to generate revenue. Lastly, Suksan and I invited K.Sub (Promsub Chatsumrit) to provide strategic advice to the team.
We were determined and executed the strategy plan to drive the formation of “Bangkok Rooftop Farming Co., Ltd.” We aimed to register as a social enterprise. We started with Phase 2, using the Westegetable farm located on the rooftop of Center One as a prototype farm for experimentation and development. We conducted various research and testing processes, striving to find formulas to transform food waste into compost and soil suitable for planting. During this initial stage, while we didn’t have our own formulas, we used Uncle soil preparation formula to grow and drive production. Meanwhile, our efforts caught the attention of various media outlets.
In this experimentation phase, we acknowledged that we didn’t achieve success. We didn’t have our own formulas for compost and soil yet, and encountered numerous problems. However, we learned and resolved them together.
In Phase 3, we reinitiated discussions and deliberations on the direction of the company. We conducted extensive studies to align the goals of the new company with the desires of all seven of us. We consulted with several experts, including those skilled in business development, organic agriculture, and management. Then we began creating our own innovations, such as the planting table, composting formulas, soil preparation formulas, and crop management. Despite feeling the need for a leader with expertise and experience in leading the company, we continued to strive forward with the knowledge and skills we possessed.
We went through ups and downs, making mistakes and learning from them. We gained recognition and received support from various organizations. We expanded the scope of our work and established partnerships with other companies and institutions. Currently, our company operates a number of rooftop farms, focuses on promoting organic agriculture, conducts research and development, and actively contributes to the community and the environment.
This is a brief overview of the origin and journey of “Bangkok Rooftop Farming Co., Ltd.”
