Sweet Water Organics
Sweet Water Organics, Inc. is an urban farm located in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 2008 by Milwaukee entrepreneurs Josh Fraundorf and James Godsil, Sweet Water's stated mission is to provide fresh, safe food for the community by employing methods of aquaponics and hydroponics that produce a variety of consumables while minimizing its impact on the local environment.
History
Sweet Water Organics incorporated in 2008 and broke ground on its facility in 2009. Former business partners Josh Fraundort and James Godsil founded the organization in the hopes of creating an urban, sustainable fish and vegetable farm. The first fish were added to the aquaponics system in July 2009, including 2,400 yellow perch and 33,000 tilapia. By mid-2010 Sweet Water was selling AbOUT 150 pounds of produce a week and had sold 3,000 perch.
Today the company employs full- and part-time sales managers, urban farm and facilities experts, and horticulturists. They also have a network of volunteers.
Urban Farm
Sweet Water's reclamation and revitalization projects were inspired by former basketball player and MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant-winner Will Allen. The farm is situated in a formerly abandoned 6.5 acre building complex and utilizes four 11,000 gallon raceways dug directly into the concrete floor to house the fish. Expansions to the facility will be paid for in part by a $250,000 loan from the city of Milwaukee that will be entirely forgiven if it CREATES 45 jobs by the end of 2014.
Products
Products offered for sale to local residents, grocery stores, and restaurants include:
- tilapia
- perch
- lettuce
- sprouts
- wheatgrass
- watercress
- basil
- Swiss chard
Foundation
Sweet Water Organics operates a 501(c)(3) organization called The Sweet Water Foundation. The Foundation provides opportunities for community members to learn about sustainable agriculture, urban renewal, environmental conservation, and economic development.