Ditto Foods
Chicago, Illinois | EST. 2022
Farmers
Derek Drake and Brad Schiever
Business Model
Mission-focused business selling to restaurants, individuals, and local grocery stores
No. of Farms
One
Area Served
Chicago, Illinois, and nationwide
Main Crops
Lettuces, Leafy Greens, Herbs, Root Veggies, Seedlings
Farm Model
Greenery™ S
In Chicago, one revolutionary farm is striving to build up its community through fresh food access. With Derek Drake and Brad Schiever at the helm, Ditto Foods is growing into a thriving farm, a profitable business, and a promise to Chicagoans.
In the Pandemic, a Window Opens
Derek Drake was the Senior Director of Food and Beverage Operations at Northwestern University, the culmination of a 25-year career in the food service industry, before being laid off at the beginning of the pandemic. Ever an optimist, he took this door closing as his chance to find his next step.
Diving into research, he began looking into “tiny things” — first starting with the idea of a food truck, then moving on to exploring tiny homes, and ultimately finding compact container farming on a late-night internet search.
The next morning, he pitched it to Brad, his husband, whose immediate reaction was relief that Derek had moved on from tiny homes to other tiny structures (living in a tiny home being unrealistic for a family with four children and a dog). Brad then had an important question: “You know that has dirt, right? I just want to make that clear: There is dirt in farming.”
Derek, naturally, followed up with the clincher: “Actually, I found a way to not get dirty while I farm.” Hallelujah for hydroponics and soil-free growing!
“It was like an ancestor tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘That’s it, right there.’”
26 Lending Institutions
Once deciding to purchase a Freight Farm, the pair next had to find a lender for their venture — a process that ultimately took 18 months. They spoke to one lending institution after another, and all had the same answer: “It’s a cool idea, but no.” No one understood what a Freight Farm was, how it worked, and what Derek and Brad were trying to accomplish. Besides, in 2020, things were too uncertain to finance such a risky start-up.
With support from their Account Executive and a SCORE business mentor, they kept trying. And trying. Finally, the second lender they had spoken to connected them with a colleague at another financial institution that did its research and understood what Derek and Brad wanted to do. The 26th lender they had spoken to, this institution was finally the one that gave Derek and Brad their “Yes.” Their story is a testament to the power of perseverance when it comes to financing.
Ditto Foods
Derek and Brad named their new hydroponic farming business Ditto Foods. Why “Ditto”? It signifies a reciprocal relationship. It’s a commitment to provide the community with fresh food and help them grow a healthier lifestyle, while the community supports the business in turn by purchasing their goods — connecting profit to community.
Making this farm mission-driven was very important to Derek, who grew up in Ford Heights, a disadvantaged neighborhood of suburban Chicago that sees more crime than it does opportunity. Residents of Ford Heights have limited access to grocery stores and fresh food, the majority of shops being corner stores, food marts, and liquor stores. Derek’s goal was to put a vertical farm in Ford Heights and grow there, a first step toward improving the neighborhood and changing the narrative around it.
“We are profit-driven, but we have a mission to everything that we do. We wanted to create a company that really was focused on how to be of service to something outside of ourselves.”
Bumps to Getting Started
While Freight Farms’ hardware and farm automation software make farming easier, it’s still hard work — especially for farming novices. Derek readily admits that he cried more than once when first launching the farm as he figured out the flow of operations. Luckily, with some hard work and comprehensive phone support from Freight Farms’ Customer Experience team, he soon got up and running. That support and those mistakes went a long way in helping him learn; he is now well-versed in the systems and how they work.
“I wouldn’t change any[thing we’ve done], because we’ve learned tremendous lessons out of every bump along the way.”
A Family Business
While Derek takes care of the in-farm and sales work — growing, cleaning, connecting with potential buyers, and selling using his connections in the food service world — Brad manages the business behind the scenes, taking on accounting, inventory, administrative work, and creating pricing sheets. This, he balances with his full-time role as Assistant Vice President of Business Services & Guest Engagement at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.
The couple has four children, aged 14, 13, 12, and 11 (as of November 2022). For the most part, the kids don’t want anything to do with the farm, though they’ll pitch in to help plug seedling trays.
3 Farms in 5 Years
Now that they’re up and growing and have proven that this is a viable business, Derek and Brad can look to the future. Their plan is to purchase two more farms in the next few years, and they are intent on putting them in Ford Heights, to fulfill their original vision. In fact, they’re already in talks with the mayor of Ford Heights to make sure it happens.
Their vision for Ford Heights includes two farms that are the center of a hub of fresh food. They already have a site in mind: the location of an old community pool, which features an old pool house that could be converted into a micro-grocer where community members can buy produce and empty space that could be turned into garden beds.
“We will have a farm in the community, because it has to be in the community in order to change the narrative of what’s coming out of the community. … They need folks that have the means to create opportunity to actually create opportunity in those communities.”
Crops and Seedlings
Derek and Brad currently grow a selection of lettuces and leafy greens, including Bok Choy, collard greens, red and green butterhead, and oakleaf lettuce. They also grow a variety of herbs like sage, lavender, thyme, oregano, and rosemary, and root vegetables like carrots and radishes.
Ditto Foods also grows a less common crop (at least in the world of Freight Farmers): seedlings. They offer a selection, including leafy greens, cucumber, tomato, and bell pepper seedlings. These, they sell all across the nation to individuals who want to grow plants in gardens or hydroponically in their homes.
“The word ‘fresh’ doesn’t even begin to describe it … it’s incredible, the taste.”
Sales Channels
Even before their farm was up and running, Derek and Brad began forming relationships with potential buyers in the community. Their sales channels are varied, a strategy they advocate for to ensure they aren’t putting all their business eggs in one basket. They sell their crops directly to local grocery stores, restaurants, and schools. Individuals can also access Ditto Foods’ produce by signing up for a CSA or via Market Wagon, a highly useful online farmers market platform.
Having these relationships in place dictates what and how much Ditto Foods grows. It also allows them to ensure all of their produce is utilized as they experiment and test new crops. For example, once they found themselves with an overabundance of bok choy. They were able to work out a deal with a chef that purchases from them to run a special involving bok choy, a win-win for both restaurant and business.
“Before we even planted a seed, we had been out talking to people, building that relationship, letting them know what was coming down the line, so that when we finally got the farm and we finally got things planted, we had already cultivated those relationships with different chains of business.”
@dittofoods Reply to @annaharrell0 full tour of our hydroponic farm!! #hydroponics #smallbusiness #blackfarmers ♬ original sound - Chicago Urban Farming
Sensational TikTok Farmer
Beyond relationship-building, Derek and Brad knew that in order to get the Ditto Foods brand out there, they had to have an online presence, so they hired someone to run all their social media accounts and websites. Their content strategy varies from platform to platform. On Facebook and Instagram, they focus on what’s happening and coming up. They use TikTok for national outreach on their seedling program and to speak directly to consumers.
They never anticipated the success they’ve had on TikTok … but they have a whopping 55.2K followers and counting! Their casual videos featuring Derek give them the opportunity to candidly speak to their audience and respond to followers’ comments and questions. Evidently, it’s a successful strategy!
“Consume as much as you can about plant life and what plants need to be successful. And the beauty of the technology and Freight Farms is that everything is controlled, so you’re not fighting against elements that are out of your control.”
Want to hear more from Ditto Foods?
Watch the recording of our webinar with Derek and Brad!
Together, they take us through their journey to becoming Freight Farmers, how they’re achieving their goals, and more.
Recorded: November 16th, 2022, at 2 PM EST.
