If you think ‘everyone’ is your customer, let me tell you a hard truth: you’re leaving money on the table.
Many microgreens entrepreneurs make the mistake of thinking anyone who eats greens is a potential customer.
The result? Confusing messaging, inconsistent sales, and wasted marketing dollars.
The best microgreens businesses don’t try to sell to everyone. They know exactly who their customers are, what they care about, and how to reach them.
Today, I’ll show you what you need to do to fix this.
Want to stop guessing and start selling more microgreens? Read on.
Key Takeaways
- Marketing to “everyone” dilutes your message and wastes resources. Focus on specific customer segments for stronger sales results.
- Customers buy solutions to problems, not just microgreens. Position your products as answers to specific customer needs.
- Segment your audience and tailor your communication to each group. Different customers have different motivations for buying.
- The quality of your marketing matters more than the quality of your microgreens. Even perfect products fail without targeted messaging
If you’re serious about building a profitable microgreens business, you need more than just great greens—you need great marketing. That’s exactly what the Commercial Microgreens Startup Course teaches you. Step by step, we’ll show you how to find the right customers, craft a message that sells, and build a predictable, high-demand microgreens brand.
Step 1: Why Identifying Your Ideal Customers Is the Key to More Microgreens Sales
Step 2: Why Segmenting Your Market Turns Strangers Into Microgreens Buyers
Step 3: Why Understanding Customer Problems = Instant Microgreens Sales
The Hard Truth About Your Microgreens Business
The 80/20 Rule of Microgreens Marketing
Related Questions:
What it all boils down to: Are You Ready to Stop Guessing & Start Selling Microgreens?
References
The Big Mistake Most Microgreens Entrepreneurs Make
Most small-scale growers think, “If I grow high-quality microgreens, people will buy.”
That’s like saying, “If I cook great food, my restaurant will be packed.” This is wrong.
In business, quality doesn’t drive sales—understanding your customers does.
Why It Matters
When you know who your customers are, you stop wasting time on the wrong people.
You stop making generic sales pitches and start speaking directly to what your customers care about.
You position yourself as the only logical choice.
Case Study: JPure Farms’ Wake-Up Call
When Stephen and I started JPure Farms, we thought everyone at the farmers’ market was our customer.
Our messaging was too broad—we talked about “fresh, local greens.” But people weren’t buying.
After some digging, we found our two biggest customer groups:
- Health-conscious buyers → Wanted nutrition-packed microgreens.
- Home chefs → Wanted bold flavors for gourmet dishes.
When we spoke directly to these groups, repeat sales jumped 40%.
Lesson? If you don’t know who you’re selling to, you’re making sales 10x harder than they need to be.
Still unsure who your best customers are? Inside the Commercial Microgreens Startup Course, we break it down step by step—so you can stop guessing and start selling.
The “Everyone is My Customer” Trap
If your marketing is too broad, it’s forgettable.
If your messaging speaks to specific people with specific needs, it’s magnetic.
Example: Would a busy chef care about the same things as a nutrition-obsessed mom? No.
What Market Segmentation Does for You
✅ Makes your marketing clear and powerful → No more generic messaging.
✅ Helps you attract repeat buyers → People feel like you “get” them.
✅ Makes selling easier → The right message to the right people = instant trust.
The JPure Farms Pivot: From Broad to Specific Marketing
We stopped saying, “Fresh microgreens available now!”
Instead, we spoke directly to our customer groups:
- Health-conscious buyers → “Boost your immune system with fresh, organic microgreens.
- Home chefs → “Elevate your dishes with bold, flavorful microgreens.”
The result? More engagement, more sales, and more referrals.
Lesson? The sharper your message, the more people feel like you’re talking directly to them.
When you know exactly who to target, selling becomes effortless. Inside the course, we’ll show you how to segment your audience the right way—so the right customers come to you, ready to buy.
People Don’t Buy Products—They Buy Solutions
People don’t wake up thinking, “I need microgreens.” They wake up thinking, “I need healthier meals,” or “I want to impress my guests.”
If you understand your customers’ problems, you can position your microgreens as the perfect solution.
The “Why They Buy” Test
Ask yourself: Why do people buy my microgreens? If your answer is “because they’re fresh and healthy,” you’re thinking like a farmer, not a marketer.
The real reasons people buy:
✅ Health-conscious customers: Want easy ways to add nutrients to their diet.
✅ Chefs & foodies: Want unique flavors and beautiful presentation.
✅ Busy professionals: Want quick, pre-packaged healthy options.
Case Study: How JPure Farms Stopped Selling Microgreens & Started Selling Solutions
At first, our messaging was generic: “Locally grown, fresh microgreens!”
Then we identified customer problems:
- Grocery store greens spoil too fast → “Ours last 7+ days.”
- People didn’t know how to use them → “Try these 3 easy recipes!”
- Busy shoppers wanted convenience → “Pre-cut, ready-to-eat packs.”
The result? Higher sales and more loyal customers.
Customers don’t buy microgreens—they buy solutions. If you don’t understand their problems, you’re losing sales. Inside the course, we show you how to position your microgreens as the must-have solution your customers are looking for.
Here’s something most growers don’t want to hear: Your microgreens aren’t special.
Harsh? Maybe. But it’s true. There are thousands of people growing sunflower shoots, pea shoots, and radish microgreens. What makes yours different?
The answer isn’t in your growing method or your seed supplier. It’s in how well you understand your customers.
Let me prove it with a simple example.
Two Microgreens Businesses: Same Product, Different Results
Meet Tom and Sarah. Both grow identical microgreens in identical systems. Both sell at the same farmers’ market.
Tom’s approach: He sets up his stand with a sign that says “Fresh Microgreens” and waits for customers to come by. He tells everyone the same thing: “These are locally grown and very nutritious.”
Sarah’s approach: She has two different sections at her booth. One targets health enthusiasts with signs about specific nutritional benefits. The other targets home cooks with recipe cards and flavor profiles. She talks differently to each customer based on what they care about.
Who do you think sells more?
Sarah consistently outsells Tom by 3 to 1. Same product. Different approach to customers.
That’s the power of market focus.
Did you know that 80% of your sales will come from just 20% of your potential customers?
This is the famous Pareto Principle, and it applies perfectly to microgreens businesses.
Most growers waste time and money trying to appeal to everyone. Smart growers focus on the 20% who are most likely to buy—and buy repeatedly.
How do you find this golden 20%?
It starts with proper customer research and segmentation. You need to know:
- Who’s actually buying (not just browsing)
- Why they’re buying
- What problem your microgreens solve for them
At JPure Farms, we discovered our 20% included upscale restaurant chefs and health-conscious parents. We focused our entire marketing plan on these two groups.
Within three months, our sales doubled—with no increase in growing space or costs.
What This Means For Your Microgreens Business
If you’re struggling with inconsistent sales, the problem isn’t your product. It’s your market focus.
You might be:
- Speaking too generally
- Missing key customer problems
- Using the wrong sales language
- Focusing on features instead of benefits
These are fixable problems. But they require a systematic approach.
How do I figure out which customer segments are most profitable for my specific microgreens business?
Look at who buys most frequently and spends the most with you. Notice patterns in their demographics and purchasing behaviors.
What if I narrow my focus too much and lose potential customers?
Focusing on specific segments actually increases sales by making your message more relevant. JPure Farms saw 40% more repeat sales after narrowing focus.
How can I create tailored marketing messages when I don’t fully understand what my customers want?
Ask about their frustrations with current options and what outcomes they’re seeking. Listen for patterns in their responses.
If your sales aren’t where you want them to be, you don’t need better microgreens. You need better marketing.
That starts with knowing your customers, segmenting your market, and understanding their problems.
Don’t wait for customers to magically discover your microgreens. They won’t. The market is too crowded.
But when you speak directly to the right people about the right problems, they’ll feel like you’re reading their mind. And they’ll buy from you—not your competition.
The microgreens market is crowded. The growers who understand their customers best will win. Will you be one of them?
🔥 Join the Commercial Microgreens Startup Course🔥
Stop struggling to sell microgreens the hard way—follow a proven system that works.
The Commercial Microgreens Startup Course gives you everything you need to build a profitable microgreens business—including customer research workbooks and plug-and-play marketing templates to help you sell smarter and faster.
🚀 Launched – Secure Your Spot Before Enrollment Fills Up!
🔥 Join now and get:
✅ 30% off early-bird pricing
✅ Exclusive customer research templates
✅ Access to coaching for personalized support
References
Hoving, K. (2024, December 11). New USDA Report Highlights Ongoing Challenges for Small Farms – RAFI. RAFI. https://www.rafiusa.org/blog/new-usda-report-highlights-ongoing-challenges-for-small-farms/
Misra, G., & Gibson, K. E. (2021). Characterization of Microgreen Growing Operations and Associated Food Safety Practices. Food Protection Trends, 41(1), 56–69. https://www.foodprotection.org/publications/food-protection-trends/archive/2021-01-characterization-of-microgreen-growing-operations-and-associated-food-safety-practices/
Office of Advocacy. (2023, August 10). Facts About Small Business: Family Farm Ownership Statistics. Office of Advocacy. https://advocacy.sba.gov/2023/08/10/facts-about-small-business-family-farm-ownership-statistics/
Small family farms accounted for 86 percent of U.S. farms. They generated 17 percent of the production value in 2023 | Economic Research Service. (2023). Usda.gov. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/charts-of-note/chart-detail?chartId=110693
Andrew Neves is the founder of Microgreens World and co-founder of JPure Farms, an urban microgreens business that grew from basement startup to $60,000 in annual revenue. He’s helped over 100 entrepreneurs build profitable microgreens businesses through his practical, no-nonsense approach to marketing and sales.
