Micro Acres grows 50 varieties of microgreens for Calgary chefs
An Airdrie indoor farm is supplying restaurants across the city with tiny, flavor-packed greens that punch way above their (minuscule) weight.
Inside a 6,000 square foot warehouse on the edge of Airdrie, David and Kirstin Barchard are growing more flavor than you'd think possible from plants so small.
Micro Acres, their indoor farm, cultivates about 50 varieties of microgreens, shoots, and specialty herbs. Walk the rows of stacked trays and snip a leaf — pop it in your mouth and the flavors hit fast. A tiny oval leaf tastes like cantaloupe. Baby corn tastes like corn. A broccoli micro packs the punch of a full floret, condensed.
"The micros deliver the highest flavor profile," David says. "You're getting that flavor coming in from the seed."
Microgreens are edible plant seedlings — the infant stage between sprout and baby green. They look almost identical to one another on the tray, but taste completely distinctive. Chefs have embraced them not as garnish, but as flavor and visual intention. A pinch of the right micro can lift a dish.
The Barchards started the farm in 2018 and scaled significantly, moving to their current facility in 2022. David came from years in the restaurant industry, working as a general manager with the Teatro Group. He saw small microgreen producers struggle to consistently supply restaurants and knew he could bring his management experience to build long-term relationships instead.
Growing indoors means the product isn't beholden to weather or season. Chefs get what they want when they want it. Everything Micro Acres sells is pre-sold before it grows — the beauty of a product ready in days, not months — and reaches restaurant kitchens within 24 to 48 hours of cutting.
The farm works directly with about 200 restaurants across Calgary, plus reaches more through food distributors. Brunch spots like Maven and Bro'Kin Yolk order them as eagerly as fine-dining places like Alloy or Modern Steak. The Barchards spend time with chefs, matching greens to dishes or sourcing varieties they don't yet grow.
"There's this idea that a microgreen is just anything that's cute and tiny or is just this extra garnish," David says. "How do we change the narrative so it's actually seen as part of the plate and adds an element of quality and intention to it?"
Next time you see a tiny green leaf on your plate, pay attention. It's not just decoration — it's the result of careful growing and careful pairing, a small plant that means something.