It was an optimistic Chef from Australia and his beautiful entrepreneurial wife from Macau that created “It’s Pure Production Ltd”. Many have tried and many have failed. This dream has grown into fruition after a mountain of paperwork, forms, documents, endless late nights and a lot of patience. The satisfying result was to be the first Commercial Sustainable Aquaponic Farm of this large scale in the heart of Macau. Entering into the urban farm scene as an aquaponic farming business is highly adventurous, but they plunged into it with gusto. The possibilities are incredible and the Nam Leng location as entered production stocked with organic seeds, Koy fish and it’s 2000 sq ft warehouse. Once ‘It’s Pure’ is operating at full capacity the new facility will be a large enough operation to supply most of the Macau market.
These fantastic micro greens are grown in a perfectly balanced Aquaponics ecosystem, where fish, plants and microbial life work together in perfect harmony to produce the finest, freshest and most nutrient micro greens available. This couple live and breathe urban farming. They know all too well that keeping fishand plants happy and thriving is a delicate balancing act, that if out of whack would certainly slow down production, causing many problems.
‘It’s Pure’ is a local SME company that has struggled through Covid-19 and the effects of zero tourists. Nothing was going to stop them. Their micro greens are now known as the freshest and most nutritious in Macau. With sales steadily increasing, these 2 visionaries already have plans for edible flowers, mushrooms and even baby vegetables. They have been quite successful in producing a high quality end product and are now looking to expand and share their knowledge.
Sandra says that she wants to show her 3 boys that ‘even in this concrete jungle, we can grow and provide needed resources.’ There are also plans to have final year Chef students get hands on learning about Aquaponic Farming. “It was our vision to create a facility that uses absolutely No pesticides, NO artificial fertilizers and NO preservatives. You can also be sure that our micro greens are of the highest quality and 100% Pure.”
Being a closed loop system, the farm uses only 10% of the water needed by conventional agriculture and does not dump any harmful products into the environment. “We are proud to grow our micro greens in a manner that is water wise and eco-friendly.”
Specializing in micro herbs, ‘It’s Pure Production’ have created a lovely combination of nutrient rich, full of flavor, visually stunning greens which gram for gram, contain up to 40 times more nutrients than their fully-grown counterparts.
Anyone can add the micro greens to any dish for that powerful nutrient boost. “It’s Pure micro greens are perfect for mixing into salads, infusing into your favorite dish or adding that stunning final touch.” As a Chef, Sam knows how difficult it can be to source fresh products in Macau. The solution was quite simple. Grow it here.
Growing up in Macau and seeing the drastic changes over the years, Sandra knows only too well the need for changing the way Macau consumes. Providing micro greens that are grown locally is a great step towards creating a greener future in Macau by reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainable farming. It is their aim to offer a product that is fresh and nutritious, bringing direct from Farm to fork.
Before ‘It’s Pure Production’, no locally produced micro-greens existed in Macau, it was mainly imported from China, Europe, USA, Australia and around the world. The start to finish logistics of this has a great impact on the carbon footprint count.
Being so dependent on imported food can be disastrous on many levels. Macau desperately needs farms like “It´s Pure” that offer local citizens safe, fresh and nutritious foods. After seeing what can happen in the current climate with covid-19, it is clear that local producers are very important.
There are so many advantages of aquaponics; one best season all year round, sustainable eco-system, pesticide free, no production shortage, very short supply chain, better food quality, extremely low water consumption and an innovative way to produce high-density, high quality and more sustainable food locally. When used well, aquaponics can increase local food production and make communities more resilient – all without creating pollution or using scarce resources. Macau currently relies on shipping large amounts of food across the world, leaving us remarkably vulnerable to disruption from various situations such as climate chaos, shipping disruptions or volatile oil prices. Growing as much food as possible locally could boost resilience and allow us to start taking more control of what we eat, and reduce the intake of salt, sugar and preservatives, which drive diabetes and heart disease. Aquaponics is a sustainable and intensive alternative to both growing in soil and to hydroponics.
Article provided by Sam Power