Karl Rosaen spent 4-1/2 years in "Candyland" for computer engineers before deciding that a passion for fresh, local food and veggies would lead him to his next adventure.
The University of Michigan graduate was recruited by Google during an on-campus visit. Karl and his wife, Cara, packed up and moved close to the "Googleplex," the company's sprawling campus in Mountain View, California. The campus includes room for perks as diverse as free gourmet food from the company's 19 cafes to spa services, gyms, de-stressor chambers, and (of course) foosball and pool tables – all within easy access.
It was a digital working stiff's dream come true, says Karl, who was put to work on the company's AdWords division and the tech-fantasy team that launched the Android. "It was like Candyland for adults," says Cara.
In the back of their minds, Karl says, was always the idea to launch their own start-up. And even if there never was the "perfect" time to do it, he says, after 4-1/2 years at Google the couple moved back to Michigan and made the leap. "I felt like I wanted to step outside of my comfort zone. I wanted to be more involved in the beginning of products," Karl says.
Other wunderkinds from Google had gone into digital gaming or other areas that quickly led to fat paychecks. But "something else was tugging at Karl," Cara says.
An avid cook and passionate foodie, Karl quickly saw that despite an explosion of farmer's markets throughout the nation, a real-time tool that would connect people with the products wasn't available. So Karl and Cara launched
RealTimeFarms.com on April 30 to fill the gap.
Part social media tool for the local foodie set -- think
Gowalla or
Foursquare for farmer's markets -- part nationwide directory of markets and available products, the site allows nationwide searches for farmer's markets based on city or zip code. Users can share pictures of local markets and farm stands by posting them to the site, along with information about what's there and handy tips for other patrons. "There are some good websites and resources," Karl says, "but they weren't contemporary with what we're able to do in a more real-time environment. "
Santa Cruz, Calif.-based
LocalHarvest.org is one of the web's largest resource guides for local and organic food. And there are countless other websites and print directories to document the fast-growing segment, says Susan Smalley, director of the
C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at Michigan State University. "Maybe it's pie in the sky, but we've been waiting for the right technology so that you don't have to go to 10 or 15 different places," she says.
There are plenty of places to track. A decade ago there were about 2,863 farmers markets nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Last year, the agency counted 5,274 locations. Between 2008 and 2009 alone, 589 new markets opened.
The markets have popped up as demand increases for locally and sustainably grown food. But navigating them all, along with a barrage of information about how to eat sustainably and healthfully can be daunting, Karl says. At least part of the mission of Real Time Farms is to lead people to sustainable food alternatives without preaching to them.
Ann Arbor was a perfect place to launch, as the city is home to a network of groups and food industry people interested in local sourcing and sustainable lifestyles, Karl says. Michigan is second only to California in its agricultural diversity, with much of that due to the state's geographical features which create "micro-climates," according to the Michigan Agribusiness Association. It's a state steeped in ag roots.
"There's a lack of education, and sometimes it can feel so overwhelming that people give up," he explains. "Part of it was wanting to create something that educated people, that didn't say there was one way to eat." Celebrating tastier, locally sourced food seemed like a way to bring people to ponder bigger issues of sustainability. "Rather than shaming people, you can share the fun side with them," he says. "It could be a really easy introduction."
Molly Notarianni, market manager for the
Ann Arbor Farmer's Market, was an early fan. "I feel like it's a huge missing link," she offers. "something that I dreamed of doing myself."
Many farms try to market their goods using
Facebook and
Twitter, she says, and still others find the social media venues either too time consuming or too daunting. But Real Time Farms, she says, "is beautiful in its simplicity and its accessibility."
The start-up is a true passion project. While Cara, Real Time marketing director, has her own small jewelry business:
Sweet Plum Vintage, Real Time Farms is financed from savings made when Karl worked at Google, the couple says. "We have toyed with the idea of seeking funding, and even have found a couple of angel investors that have expressed interest," Cara says. "But at this point we are seeing how far we can make it with no outside funding."
During its first nine weeks, Realtimefarms.com had more than 55,000 page views and more than 8,000 unique visits, Karl says. He calls the early results "encouraging." Recent news articles about the company have boosted traffic to the site even more, suggesting the Rosaen's may be onto something. Last week alone RealTimeFarms drew nearly 9,000 visits.
"One person can make a big impact," he says. "The fact that anyone can contribute to this -- it's an idea that can really take off."
Realtimefarms.com is about as down-to-earth and welcoming as the markets it covers. Lush pictures of fat, red tomatoes, broccoli florets big enough to look like tiny trees, and summer peaches with a perfect blush are set on a backdrop of the type of artisan woodblock art you'd expect to see at an art fair. The point, Karl and Cara says, is to make it as easy as possible for anyone to contribute content to the site.
But the digital undergirding of the site is sophisticated, and growing by the day. Ultimately, Karl says, he'd like Real Time Farms to introduce a complete ecosystem of local food, revealing restaurants and other places that source from local farms, and creating links between producers of fresh food and consumers, whether commercial or consumer.
"What we see this being is so much bigger than what it is now," Cara says. "But people are seeing the value in it now."
A Real Time Farms mobile app for iPhone and Android is in the works, and the couple say they're hiring engineers to build the digital infrastructure to map the local food universe. An animated commercial is in the works, something that the Rosaens hope will breed virally across the web, as is a plan to allow grocers and restaurants to market locally sourced menus and offerings on the site for a nominal fee.
"We liken it to [movie industry database]
IMDB," says Cara. Ultimately, users would not only be able to use their smart phones to locate nearby farmers markets, but to see restaurants and grocers that source goods from the various farms selling there, view restaurant menus, and read recipe ideas from other users. "It's now a prototype," Cara says. "We're hoping to get our first big restaurant by August."
For now, Cara says, it's still a thrill when they see postings from users in places they haven't visited. The list is growing, she said, from Florida, to New York, California, Illinois, and North Carolina.
"We had our first Canadian one the other day," she says. "I was like, we're international!"
Michelle Martinez is a freelance writer and and editor who has reported on Metro Detroit businesses and issues for five years. She is also a regular contributor to Metromode. Her previous story was From Scratch: Mandy & Pandy.
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All photos by Doug Coombe
Photos:
Cara and Karl Rosaen work from their West Side Ann Arbor porch
Produce at Ann Arbor Farmer's Market
Cara and Karl Rosaen in their back yard garden
Molly Notorianni at the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market Office.
Berries at Ann Arbor Farmer's Market
Ann Arbor Farmer's Market thanks you for buying local