Microgreens starter kits attracting growing interest

Anna Hiatt’s microgreens starter kits have been attracting a growing interest from families during lockdown.

Hiatt & Co founder Anna Hiatt is well known in Wanaka for her work in the sports events industry and has been involved in World Triathlon, the Winter Games, Queenstown Marathon and Challenge Wanaka, all of which have been affected by Covid-19 restrictions since last year.

She launched the company online earlier this year, as a response to lifestyle and livelihood changes wrought by the pandemic.

“Our Mighty Minis Microgreens starter kits have been flying out the door over the past few days and many of them are going to families. I find there is some solace in growing something quickly from scratch and this simple practice seems to have struck a chord,” Ms Hiatt said.

“The feedback has been that growing our nutrient-dense microgreens is an engaging, super-fun and successful project for children to take on and they love seeing the results appear so fast.

"Our kits contain everything except for the vessel to grow them in. From sowing the seeds, some of the microgreens can be harvested after just seven-10 days,” Ms Hiatt said.

The new business meets Alert Level 4 guidelines. All orders are packaged using strict hygiene procedures and the whole process is contactless, including payment and delivery.

Ms Hiatt has had a lifelong enthusiasm for gardening and floral design — she was one of those children whose bedroom walls were papered with certificates from A&P shows and she went on to run her own floral design company.

This background inspired her to create a company helping others create edible gardens. She has also been providing one-on-one edible garden consultations to get plants growing fast.

“Gardening can feel overwhelming. There is so much information out there that sometimes people don’t even know where to begin. I want to make growing your own produce simple and fun,” she said.