In a quiet corner of Bratislava’s Fresh Market, inside Nom Nom Asia, a vertical farming tower stands filled with trays of microgreens growing under LED lights, ready for customers to harvest themselves. This is the first commercial deployment of StoreField, a Slovak startup attempting to change how people access ultra-fresh herbs and greens.

“We wanted to bridge the gap between vertical farming and the everyday consumer experience,” says Martin Balaz, founder of StoreField. “Traditional vertical farms usually operate at a large scale, often far from urban centers, creating distance between consumers and their food source. With StoreField, our approach brings cultivation directly into the retail space, offering complete transparency and unmatched freshness.”

A microfarm in the grocery aisle
The StoreField Growing System allows shoppers to witness and engage with the growth process of microgreens such as arugula, broccoli, garlic, and radish. Offered in curated mixes like Garden Mix, Spicy Mix, and Earthy Spices, the herbs are grown on-site without pesticides, plastic packaging, or long-haul logistics.

For consumers, it’s a sensory experience, one that enhances trust and reconnects people with their food. For retailers, it’s a competitive edge. “Customers can directly see, touch, and harvest their microgreens, enhancing the quality and authenticity of their shopping experience,” Balaz explains.

Rapid installation and instant results
The initial installation at Nom Nom Asia was designed for minimal disruption and maximum immediacy. “We completed the entire installation in just three hours, including delivery, connecting the tower to infrastructure, and preparing it for immediate use,” Balaz says.

The tower arrived preloaded with GrowPads, enabling same-day availability of fresh microgreens. “Store staff received hands-on training during setup to manage basic maintenance from day one. This plug-and-play simplicity is core to the system’s design, and part of a broader vision we call Growing as a Service (GaaS),” he adds.

Growing as a Service (GaaS): A hands-off solution for retailers
“Our model ensures a win-win scenario,” Balaz explains. “Retailers benefit from offering fresh, high-quality produce without the complexity of managing the farming process, customers enjoy consistently fresh and nutritious microgreens, and we achieve a sustainable and innovative business approach that benefits everyone involved.”

The tower is fully automated and monitored remotely, with only minimal daily input required from store employees. “Restocking takes just a few minutes a day, and technical monitoring is handled by our team,” he adds.

Choosing Nom Nom Asia: Shared values and forward thinking
The decision to pilot StoreField at Nom Nom Asia and Fresh Market wasn’t coincidental. “They align perfectly with StoreField’s philosophy and target audience,” says Balaz.

“Fresh Market is known for high-quality, locally sourced produce, and Nom Nom Asia’s focus on Asian cuisine offered a perfect platform to showcase the versatility and freshness of our microgreens. Their openness to innovation and dedication to customer experience made them the ideal early partner.”

From curious observers to loyal harvesters
Since its installation, StoreField has captured the curiosity of shoppers. “Customer reactions have been overwhelmingly positive,” Balaz notes. “We’ve seen delight and excitement from people interacting with the system, especially when they get to harvest the herbs themselves.”

Not all responses are immediate purchases, however. “Some customers are still hesitant, taking photos or standing back, unsure about how to engage with it. We attribute this to the novelty of the concept, particularly in Eastern Europe, where this kind of experience is new.”

But StoreField sees this hesitation as temporary. “Once people see the freshness and experience the difference, they’re hooked. We’re confident they won’t want to go back to traditional packaged herbs.”

Customization and data-driven refinement
The tower currently supports 15 microgreen varieties, selected for their reliable growth, visual appeal, and flavor profile. These are bundled into balanced mixes that deliver consistent quality in-store.

“Rather than assume what customers want, we launched with a broad range to observe real-world behavior,” Balaz explains. “This gives us data to refine our MixPads over time, tailoring our offerings based on actual preferences while keeping the growing process efficient.”

As StoreField expands to new regions, that flexibility will become a core advantage. “We can adapt our mixes to match local tastes and culinary habits quickly and reliably.”

Built for scale
While the debut installation is modest in scale, the company has its sights set on much broader growth. “Scalability was built into the StoreField model from day one,” Balaz says. “The tower is modular, standalone, and requires minimal infrastructure.”

The team is now focused on establishing the logistics and support network needed for European expansion. “Whether it’s a single tower in a specialty store or a chain-wide rollout, the system can scale efficiently while maintaining quality and reliability.”

For more information:
StoreField
Martin Balaz
[email protected]
www.store-field.com