{"id":264155,"date":"2025-09-29T15:46:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T15:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/264155\/"},"modified":"2025-09-29T15:46:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T15:46:18","slug":"how-closed-loop-farms-became-a-microgreens-empire-in-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/264155\/","title":{"rendered":"How Closed Loop Farms Became A Microgreens Empire In Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"

BACK OF THE YARDS \u2014 \u00a0Adam Pollack was fresh off a summer internship at a North Carolina farm when he decided to try growing microgreens in his Logan Square apartment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pollack was feeling depleted after working in restaurants, and he was eager to put his new farming skills to work. Plus, microgreens grow so quickly in small spaces, he knew he could yield a crop almost immediately.<\/p>\n

A decade later, Pollack\u2019s microgreens, along with a colorful array of edible flowers, herbs, lettuces, tomatoes, vegetables and specialty greens, can be found in restaurants and homes across the city via his company, Closed Loop Farms<\/a>. Every week, the farm makes more than 200 produce deliveries to some 150 restaurants as well as to 50 homes across Chicago. Closed Loop products can also be found at Agora Market, 2134 N. Western Ave. in Bucktown, and Wild Onion Market, 7007 N. Clark St. in Rogers Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re going to a restaurant in Chicago and there are microgreens or flowers on your dishes, there\u2019s a pretty good chance they come from us,\u201d said Pollack.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The farm\u2019s edible flowers even had a cameo on \u201cThe Bear\u201d Season 4<\/a>, delicately adorning pastry chef Marcus\u2019 desserts.<\/p>\n

Closed Loop Farms operates from the sprawling 6,000-square-foot basement of The Plant<\/a>, 4459 S. Marshfield Ave., a sustainable food business incubator located in what was once a meat product production plant in Back of the Yards.<\/p>\n

There, Pollack and his tight-knit team grow some 20 varieties of microgreens year-round in a space packed with floor-to-ceiling metal shelves holding plant-filled trays in various stages of growth. Purple- and pink-hued lights sub in for the sun, creating an otherworldly vibe.<\/p>\n

Outside the building, they grow a wide variety of produce on a half-acre plot, formerly a gravel parking lot covered with wood chips and organic compost. The used soil from the microgreens grown inside is recycled into the soil of the outdoor farm. A hoop house added five years ago extends the growing season.<\/p>\n

The diversity of plants at Closed Loop Farms yields a range of insects and the animals who like to eat them \u2014 all of which creates a thriving ecosystem where pest control management is handled by Mother Nature.<\/p>\n

Crop diversity also makes good business sense, Pollack said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf something doesn\u2019t grow well, we have something else to substitute for it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"AdamAdam Pollack of Closed Loop Farms checks on crops in the outdoor plot at The Plant, 4459 S. Marshfield Ave. He started his farm from a few trays of microgreens in his Logan Square apartment. Credit: Lisa Shames\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

Growing At Home, And Delivering To Homes <\/p>\n

When Pollack returned to Chicago and began his farming experiment in his apartment, he chose microgreens because they require minimal investment and space, and they grow quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to learn how to farm to become a better chef, but I was also a little burned out on cooking, so it was a fun break,\u201d said Pollack of his time at that North Carolina farm. \u201cEventually, I began thinking I just want to keep doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n

By luck, he connected with Latin United Community Housing Association, a management company that offered him free usage of a small plot of land in Humboldt Park for a summer produce garden in exchange for involving nearby tenants in the gardening process as part of its wellness programs.<\/p>\n

Around that time, Pollack began reaching out to restaurants to sell his produce. As a former chef at restaurants like Avec, Topolobampo and Kai Zan, he had connections. <\/p>\n

\"AdamAdam Pollack started growing microgreens in his Logan Square apartment a decade ago. Now based at The Plant, his Closed Loop Farms grows produce and edible flowers for more than 150 restaurants in Chicago. Credit: Lisa Shames\/Block Club Chicago; Instagram\/Closed Loop Farms<\/p>\n

As demand grew for his produce and especially his microgreens, so did the need to find a larger space. A friend turned Pollack onto The Plant, where for the first month, he rented a 10-by-15-foot space for $75. More restaurant clients meant more space at The Plant. Two years after moving in, he began cultivating the outdoor space.<\/p>\n

Closed Loop was experiencing slow but steady growth until COVID \u2014 and then everything changed. With 100 percent of their sales from restaurants, the farm had to make a major shift that included creating a website. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t have [a website] before because we took our orders from texts and emails from chefs,\u201d said Pollack.<\/p>\n

It became clear very quickly that switching to a home delivery business and working with other local producers to bundle orders was the financially feasible way to go. The stay-at-home order was issued on a Sunday night, and Closed Loop made its first home deliveries the following Tuesday, said Pollack.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always thought there\u2019s a big opportunity to spread the microgreens gospel, so to speak, beyond restaurants,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen COVID hit, it was like, yeah, now\u2019s the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI eat so many microgreens at home, and I\u2019ve always believed in them as something that makes sense,\u201d said Pollack, who recommends home cooks add the deeply flavorful greens to sandwiches, pizza, eggs, avocado toast and even Chinese takeout.<\/p>\n

24 Hours From Harvest To Restaurant Kitchen<\/p>\n

Once restaurants began to reopen, the farm\u2019s business model shifted once again, though Pollack continued home deliveries along with partnerships with local purveyors like Vargo Brothers and Kombuchade.<\/p>\n

In addition to the produce it grows, Closed Loop also works with chefs to accommodate special requests.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe like to source our roses and anise hyssops from Closed Loop,\u201d said chef John Shields of three Michelin-starred Smyth. \u201cWe admire their commitment to a local and perfect product.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ClosedClosed Loop Farms founder Adam Pollack (left) and home delivery manager Jake Chappell tend to amaranth growing on the farm\u2019s outdoor plot at The Plant. Credit: Lisa Shames\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

Those requests can sometimes be a gamble, said Maggie\u00a0Dohr, Closed Loop Farms operations manager. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe try some things and sometimes they work and sometimes they don\u2019t and sometimes we end up bringing it into our rotation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Closed Loop\u2019s Big Leaf microgreens mix \u2014 sunflower shoots, purple radish microgreens and nasturtium leaves \u2014 was created for chef C.J. Jacobson of Lettuce Entertain You\u2019s Aba and Ema restaurants. It\u2019s now one of Closed Loop\u2019s best-sellers. <\/p>\n

Hoja santa, a fragrant herb often used in Mexican cuisine, was another special request that\u2019s now a staple crop at Closed Loop.<\/p>\n

One of the farm\u2019s competitive advantages is it proximity to its customers, said Jake Chappell, whose title is home delivery manager but who, like others at Closed Loop, wears many hats, including writing its blog posts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always harvest within 24 hours of delivery, which is pretty unique,\u201d Chappell said. \u201cThat\u2019s definitely different than getting it shipped from California or somewhere else or at the grocery store.\u201d<\/p>\n

That hyperlocal freshness is apparent to restaurant customers like chef Bryan McClaran of Best Intentions. <\/p>\n

\u201cI love having fresh, vibrant greens from a local purveyor,\u201d McClaran said. \u201cThey\u2019ve worked time and again to get the exact things we need for both our food and beverage programs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DishesDishes featuring microgreens and edible flowers grown at Closed Loop Farms include (from left): tatsoi microgreens and steak at CMB Catering; cherry French toast at the Londonhouse; and a Scotch egg with trout at The Dearborn. Credit: Instagram\/Closed Loop Farms<\/p>\n

Sustainable Growth<\/p>\n

Beyond the quality of its ingredients, Closed Loop Farms is driven by two other factors, Pollack said: environmental stewardship and social impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing that got me more into farming was the environmental aspects of it and wanting to grow food in a responsible way and have that connection to the food we eat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Reusable packaging was a priority from the get-go, with the company eschewing the more traditional disposable plastic clamshell containers. Knowing that chefs were already familiar with the standardized hard plastic rectangular delivery boxes, Pollack opted for those.<\/p>\n

The boxes had a bonus feature: They stack easily in a walk-in refrigerator.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like to a lot of people these things would sound like minor little conveniences, but when a good portion of your job as a chef is keeping the fridge organized, it\u2019s a big deal,\u201d said Chappell, who met Pollack at Avec where he was also a chef. \u201cThe shelves in a fridge are built to the right height to stack these boxes up. That\u2019s the level of integration these boxes are in restaurants.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ClosedClosed Loop Farms grows 20 varieties of microgreens year-round in the sprawling basement of The Plant, 4459 S. Marshfield Ave. Credit: Lisa Shames\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

Growth at Closed Loop not only applies to the products it grows but also its staff. The farm now employs 11 year-round, full-time staff and four part-timers, plus about four seasonal workers. The starting wage on the farm is $20 an hour. The company pay 50 percent of health insurance, and a retirement plan is in the works, Pollack said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy bigger focus over time has been our staff and how we can make this a place that provides a living for folks and be a place where people can stay for a long time and continue to build something that\u2019s sustainable for everyone that works here,\u201d he said. \u201cHopefully, I\u2019ve created a nice place for people to work that\u2019s doing something meaningful, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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