Age: 34
Occupation: Founder and CEO, Deepwater Farms
An entrepreneurial mindset is deeply rooted in Paul Shumlich: he started a lawn-cutting business as a kid, then founded window-washing company UniClean to help pay for university.
In 2015, Shumlich began experimenting with aquaponic systems (growing plants using nutrient-rich aquaculture water), then dove from there into vertical farming.
“To me, it wasn’t just about starting a business to make money,” Shumlich recalls. “It was, moreso, about starting a business that can have a beneficial impact.”
Rather than entering the already-saturated greenhouse market, he aimed to use indoor vertical farming to supply fresh baby greens to local restaurants and wholesale food chains. Shumlich formed aquaponics clubs at the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University, and used school greenhouses to prototype his vertical farming system. Capital-wise, money saved from UniClean and funding from pitch competitions wasn’t quite enough, so he lived out of a garage for 10 months, showering at a YMCA. “I think that’s what I needed to prove to myself, and also the people around me, that I was serious about it,” he says.
That sacrifice paid off in 2017, when he secured funding from angel investors and launched Western Canada’s first commercial indoor vertical farm, Deepwater Farms. Today, the farm ships out 1,500 pounds of baby greens (think kale, swiss chard and arugula) weekly to more than 75 grocery stores and 50 restaurants, typically delivered 48 hours or less after harvest. His team has grown to double digits, and he often hires students from the company’s semester-long Horticulture Technician program. “We see ourselves as training the next generation of agricultural leaders in Western Canada,” Shumlich says. “We are able to educate people and show young minds what can be done if you have a vision and go after it.”
Thank yous
“My parents and family; and my friends, advisors, mentors and business partners: your unwavering support and guidance have been instrumental in my journey.”
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