Milwaukee is becoming known as the 'capital' of Urban Farming with the help of organizations such as Will Allen's Growing Power and more recently Sweet Water Organics located in the Milwaukee neighborhood of Bayview. Sweet Water Organics is a non-certified organic urban farm that grows a variety vegetables and herbs along with raising fish.
Sweet Water's sustainable aquaculture system is based on Will Allen's (MacArthur Genius Award Winner and Founder of Growing Power) three-tiered, bio-intensive, simulated wetland. In the re-circulating systems, the fish waste acts as natural fertilizer for plant growth and the plants act as a water filter.Our current vegetation includes various lettuce and basil, watercress, tomatoes, peppers, chard, and spinach. Our fish are tilapia and perch.
Sweet Water Organics is creating an amazing business model and providing a example of what is possible with urban farming and agriculture. Recently, The Wall Street Journal took notice of this innovative start-up. The article gives an insight into the future growth of Sweet Water Organics, and from reading the article that future is looking real bright. Here is an excerpt from the article:
Sweet Water has been selling about 150 pounds of lettuce and other greens a week, and sold its first 3,000 yellow perch this spring. Perch-lovers lined up to buy whole fish for $5 each. (It takes three to four to get a pound of fillet.) More fish should be big enough to sell by late summer. The Coquette Cafe in Milwaukee's historic Third Ward recently offered Sweet Water fish in an upscale fish fry, dipping the perch in batter from its own Rendez-Vous beer and serving it with pomme frites, Coquette slaw and saffron tartar sauce.
You can read the rest of the article from The Wall Street Journal here.Here is video on Sweet Water Organics from Wisconsin Foodie.Part 1
