Mathew shares the roots of his urban farming venture, from growing basil for family meals to creating Singapore's largest distributed lifestyle farming network.
Get into the root of Grobrix’s lush world, where urban farming meets community vibes. We chat with Mathew, the banker-turned-entrepreneur and visionary behind Grobrix, to spill the beans (or should we say, herbs) on how this green revolution went from a homegrown project to transforming Singapore’s corporate landscapes. When the pandemic was at its peak, his team designed, developed and brought to market the world’s first patented modular edible green wall. It grows leafy greens, fresh herbs and more. Grobrix now runs Singapore’s largest distributed lifestyle farming network.
Discover how Grobrix is bringing community-focused urban farming to corporate offices and homes, making sustainability a lifestyle in the heart of Singapore.
Hi Mathew! Let’s start from the beginning. What’s your backstory and why did you decide to launch your business?
I started growing food to forge deeper relationships with family. Food has a way of bringing people together. We all need to eat. We regularly eat meals together. We sometimes prepare them together. At a different time, we would grow food together. For most of us now though, that time has passed and I thought that was a shame.
Happy moments involving food with friends and family left me with a deep interest in produce and agriculture. The farmers and producers, their stories, their purpose, their passion – I wanted to be a part of their world.
When did the idea of Grobrix transition from a homegrown project to a sustainable solution for offices and workspaces?
It was in September 2019. I was getting my haircut and staring at an empty wall behind me through the salon mirror. I thought it might be interesting to grow food on a wall. Just over four years ago, the wall farm concept was born.
Leaving the world of finance for urban farming is quite a plot twist. What inspired this green journey, and do you miss wearing suits?
After 15 years in banking, I was looking for something else; a second chapter to my career. The Grobrix concept presented itself as an opportunity to break free and scratch a creative itch. I believed I could design something useful that people would appreciate; something that might make a difference. I don’t miss wearing suits but I sometimes miss wearing cufflinks.
How did Grobrix go from being a home garden project to a go-to green guru for corporate giants like KPMG and LinkedIn?
The Grobrix wall farm was designed for my home, but it was always envisaged that maybe one day a restaurant might be interested in having a larger version. The workplace solution came about after CNA requested to have a wall at their office. The office farm concept was refined through the end of 2021 as Covid was coming to a close and corporates were trying to entice employees back to the office. Our Lifestyle Farming-as-a-service offering provides a solution that promotes sustainability, encourages physical health and mental well-being, and enhances the workplace experience. It was a hit.
Singapore is known for its cutting-edge urban farming. How does Grobrix contribute to making urban farming more visible, community-oriented, and lifestyle-focused?
Grobrix was designed to look good. I thought that if the aesthetic concept behind a living moss wall could be applied to vertical farming, then urban communities would be interested in growing food in a wider variety of places. Urban farming could emerge from the warehouse or factory and go into the workplace, hotels, shopping malls, community centres and, of course, homes.
Looking at where we’re at in our journey, our corporate partners find that staff are excited about harvesting the plants and herbs, and having them for team lunches. It’s a great way to meet and connect with colleagues – they often know each other by their name and title but not who they are as a person. It’s nice to see people form meaningful relationships at the workplace.
Can you share an example of a success story where Grobrix has significantly influenced a company’s workplace culture?
One of our partners has a workplace experience team that consistently engages employees and their wider community through their Grobrix wall. Through regular activities, they’ve observed employees becoming more aware of the importance of sustainability and healthier living. Additionally, they’ve noticed how the wall fosters conversations among employees and guests visiting the office.
Another partner aimed to create a welcoming space when they built their new office this year. They were eager to establish an office that reflected their values and recognised how Grobrix helped them achieve that goal. After just over six months with us, they’ve noticed increased employee connection during office harvest days, fostering discussions about recipe ideas using our produce.
You’ve given your daughters the titles of Chief Salad Muncher and Head of Quality Control – cute! How have they contributed to the development of Grobrix?
As the story goes, my urban farming journey started with pesto. There was a time when all that my girls would eat for lunch was green pasta. Green pasta requires pesto and pesto requires basil. We got our basil from the supermarket, but it wasn’t particularly fresh or fragrant. It was coming in a single-use plastic clamshell packet, covered in chemicals.
I figured there had to be a better way of sourcing it so I started growing it. If it wasn’t for my two daughters, I’d still be working on a trading floor staring at a Bloomberg terminal.
If you had to whip up a meal using ingredients from your Grobrix wall, what would be the star dish?
At the moment, I’m baking on most weekends. Focaccia bread with oregano and thyme from the wall is my favourite. The trick is to work the herbs into the folds rather than just garnish the top. This way, they don’t burn in the oven. When this becomes a thing, just remember you saw it here first.
If you could place a Grobrix wall anywhere in the world, where would it be? The sky’s the limit!
The Dyson Global Headquarters in Singapore or the Apple Campus in California. Why? I’m a big fan of both companies. I love their stories and their products are beautifully designed. To see it in either would be amazing.
If we could have a bold mission, our ultimate dream would be to evolve Singapore’s Garden City dream further and see much more indoor greenery in Singapore become edible. We’d love to see everyone as a farmer, if only for one or two hours a week.
Learn more about Grobrix’s wall farm concept and their stories on Instagram.
This post is in partnership with Grobrix.
