Dachnik Aquaponics

This interview details Dachnik Aquaponics, an indoor farming company based in the United States. The interview is with Sean Burrows, Founder of Dachnik Aquaponics.

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What is the origin story of Dachnik Aquaponics?

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Dachnik Aquaponics started as a backyard hobby between father & son (Ken Burrows & Sean Burrows) in 2012 We initially built a large dome greenhouse in our backyard and used that to build our first Aquaponics system inside of it.

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We were not planning on doing Aquaponics as a business during that time; however as we started designing and operating our system and learning about all of the barriers that have prevented Aquaponics from becoming truly scalable and successful at the commercial level, it quickly turned into a passion to solve those problems and spark some innovation into the currently stagnated Aquaponics market.

The idea and inspiration originally came from reading the book “Anastasia (The Ringing Cedars Series)”. That is where the name “Dachnik” came from. A Dachnik or “Dacha” is a Russian word meaning a gift, and is also used to mean a house or cottage in the country where people escape to take care of their own gardens and live a self-sustainable lifestyle.

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What are some of the biggest challenges facing Dachnik Aquaponics in the future? 

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• Continuing to develop technology that is innovative and scalable while keeping costs low to the end user. 

• Competing with hydroponic farms. Showing why Aquaponics is a better alternative.

• Lowering operating costs from LED Lights and climate controls.

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What is unique about Dachnik Aquaponics compared to competitors? 

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• We're the only Aquaponics company utilizing both Vertical and Horizontal methods in our growing systems. This creates many benefits to the efficiency of the overall bio-filter while also increasing yield per SqFt.

• Our vertical towers are patented and exclusive to our systems. These towers increase plant yield and lower labor costs.

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What are some other relevant metrics of the company (growing area size, production quantity, team size, etc.)?

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We have a full-time team of engineers and other employees working in Provo, UT. Our current commercial facility and offices are within a 5,000 sqft building. This facility is our most updated design and is currently operating as a proof of concept for our duplicatable business model we plan to franchise to other entrepreneurs. This facility grows 11,000 plants every month and will also raise over 750 lbs per month of Trout. We plan on selling and delivering freshly prepared salads and smoked trout.

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What are some goals in 2024 and beyond for Dachnik Aquaponics?

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We were recently awarded an "Air and Water Innovation Grant" from the state of Utah to expand our facilities into other local counties and provide fresh produce to the local communities. Our objective is to collect as much data as possible on how much water our facilities save compared to current agriculture methods in Utah. We're also starting to develop our container design as well as a small residential model.

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How can people connect with you or learn more about Dachnik Aquaponics?

Can visit our website at www.dachnikaquaponics.com to find all of our contact information and learn more about our services.

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