CanadianSME Small Business Magazine interviews Zaffia Laplante, Chief Operating Officer of SkyAcres, who shared insights on how her Métis heritage and family history in gardening and farming influenced her approach to entrepreneurship and the vision behind SkyAcres. Raised in Northern Ontario, she gained valuable lessons from her mother and grandmother, both passionate gardeners and entrepreneurs. This upbringing fostered her love for horticulture, leading to SkyAcres’ mission to revolutionize sustainable farming and promote food sovereignty in Indigenous communities. SkyAcres specializes in modular vertical farming, providing sustainable solutions with a focus on low water consumption and community engagement. Zaffia’s participation in Google’s Accelerator for Women Founders further empowers the company’s expansion into new markets, enabling them to reach more communities and strengthen food sustainability efforts.
Zaffia is Canada’s Top 30 Under 30 Sustainable Leaders. She is a serial Indigenous social-entrepreneur, climate activist and 3rd generation gardener. She has 6+ years of experience in Cannabis, Hemp and Indigenous entrepreneurship. She is an experienced youth advocate , including several speaking opportunities at the 2022 United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and British Council about her experience as an Indigenous woman in agriculture. Zaffia is passionate about providing high quality food access to remote, rural and Indigenous communities in Canada. She studied Global Studies with Social Entrepreneurship at Laurier and was awarded the Youth Innovation Award in 2019 at the United Nations Association in Canada.
Zaffia, with a rich background influenced by your Métis heritage and a family history of gardeners and farmers, how has this upbringing shaped your approach to entrepreneurship and your vision for SkyAcres?
Gardening isn’t just a hobby; it’s ingrained in my identity. Raised in Northern Ontario, I gained so many invaluable lessons from my mother and grandmother, both passionate gardeners and entrepreneurs. Spending countless hours in my grandmother’s garden as a child, I learned the art of cultivating organic fruits and vegetables, instilling in me a profound appreciation for food and the land.
Entrepreneurship wasn’t a foreign concept growing up —it was the norm. With my father and both my grandmothers as successful entrepreneurs, pursuing this path felt natural to me. Over the past two decades, I’ve immersed myself in horticulture, honing my skills in planting, harvesting, and seed saving. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I seized the opportunity to join my grandmother at the local farmers market, where we sold our produce to local citizens every weekend.
Gardening isn’t just a skill; it’s a cherished tradition within my family. I’ve spent years learning skills from my grandmother, and now, with SkyAcres, I’m proud to champion the future of farming. It’s a way for me to honor my family while contributing to a sustainable food system.
What inspired you to venture into the agritech industry with SkyAcres, and how does your work there reflect your commitment to integrating technology with Traditional Ecological and Indigenous Knowledge?
My journey into the agritech industry with SkyAcres is rooted in my personal interest of addressing the need for affordable and nutritious produce in remote and rural Indigenous communities. It all began in university when I was learning about the challenges of housing and food insecurity nationwide. From there, I had the opportunity to meet and learn from Indigenous leaders and community members across Canada, USA and Australia and how the harmful impacts of climate change have destroyed a lot of their traditional land.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of sharing my experiences as an Indigenous woman in agriculture, most notably at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. This was a great opportunity to amplify voices often overlooked in mainstream discourse. This journey naturally led me to join SkyAcres, where our mission is crystal clear: to provide affordable and nutrient-dense produce.
Our work transcends mere agritech; it embodies a harmonious integration of technology with Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). By safeguarding and revitalizing traditional plants, we not only nourish communities but also honor and sustain Indigenous knowledge in the face of modern challenges.
In an industry that’s becoming increasingly crowded, how do you set SkyAcres apart from other vertical farming companies, especially in terms of sustainability, technology, and community impact?
At SkyAcres, we differentiate ourselves in the competitive landscape of vertical farming through a trifecta of sustainability, technology, and community impact. Our unique hardware systems empower us to cultivate over 40 varieties of fruits, vegetables, and herbs with unmatched efficiency. We’ve developed a growing system that utilizes 90% less water compared to conventional farming methods.
Our innovation lies in our proprietary system, which boasts the lowest energy consumption in the market today by eliminating the need for pumps—a significant energy drain in traditional vertical farming setups.
By delivering essential nutrients to plants via a fine mist, we eliminate the need for soil or growing mediums and use a lot less water than our competitors.
While many vertical farming companies rely on hydroponic systems or variations thereof, which often require significant energy and water consumption, our approach sets us apart.
Our ultra-modular growing hardware also allows us to operate efficiently in limited spaces, ensuring scalability without sacrificing sustainability. This compact design not only maximizes resource utilization but also enables us to establish farming operations in areas where space is limited.
Ultimately, our commitment extends beyond technological innovation. We’re deeply invested in community engagement, collaborating closely with Indigenous communities to not only provide access to nutritious food but also to foster economic opportunities and promote self-sufficiency across the entire food supply chain.
SkyAcres aims to revolutionize the food supply chain to enhance food sovereignty and alleviate insecurity. Can you discuss the challenges you’ve encountered in making sustainable farming accessible and profitable, particularly in Indigenous communities?
One big issue is the staggering distance food travels before reaching these remote areas—often spanning up to 7000 kilometers. This lengthy journey not only compromises the freshness and nutritional value of the produce but also contributes to food insecurity, particularly in communities enduring long-standing water advisories. Unlike urban centers like Toronto and Vancouver – where fresh produce is readily available multiple times a week, many remote Indigenous communities receive shipments a few times a month.
Our goal is to empower the next generation of farmers by equipping them with the technology, tools, knowledge, and skills needed to cultivate their own produce locally. In recent months, we’ve engaged with several Indigenous communities eager to embark on this journey towards food sovereignty. We aim not only to ensure access to affordable, nutritious food but also to support opportunities for skill development, training, and employment throughout the entire food supply chain.
By working alongside community members in these areas, we’re not just addressing immediate challenges but laying the groundwork for a more resilient, sustainable future.
Being accepted into Google’s Accelerator for Women Founders is a significant milestone. How do you envision this opportunity impacting SkyAcres’ growth, and what future projects or expansions are you most excited about?
Being selected to participate in Google’s Accelerator for Women Founders is an immense honor for us at SkyAcres, particularly as one of only three Canadian companies chosen for this year’s cohort. As an Indigenous woman, I find it incredibly empowering to have access to such opportunities, recognizing the importance of representation in the tech industry. The resources, mentorship, and industry insights provided by Google will be instrumental in propelling us forward.
Currently, we’re actively fundraising for our seed round, with aspirations to conclude it within the coming months so that we can expand to new locations and scale up our manufacturing operations. We’re setting our sights on venturing into the U.S. market by the end of the year, broadening our impact and reach. If anyone is interested in learning more about how they can set up a SkyAcres farming opportunity, please reach out to me at [email protected]
SkyAcres (Surrey, British Columbia) SkyAcres is connecting fruit and vegetable growers to commercial buyers through their marketplace. It allows anyone with under-utilized residential or commercial space, to grow and sell produce, empowered by their proprietary indoor farming hardware.
