100,000 seeds.
6 farms. 1 quest to reimagine flavor.
This season, we joined Blue Hill chef Dan Barber and seed company Row 7 in thinking differently about the origin of flavor in our food. The result: the first-ever seed-to-sweetgreen experience and an exceptional Row 7 squash bred for flavor. In stores 11/1.
100,000 seeds.
6 farms. 1 quest to reimagine flavor.
This season, we joined Blue Hill chef Dan Barber and seed company Row 7 in thinking differently about the origin of flavor in our food. The result: the first-ever seed-to-sweetgreen experience and an exceptional Row 7 squash bred for flavor. In stores 11/1.
The Future is Flavor - 4:17
Where is flavor born? Watch as we join forces with Dan Barber, and his visionary seed company Row 7, to think differently about the origin of flavor in our food.
Watch
Flavor Profile: Dan Barber - 1:26
Michelin-starred Chef, star of Netflix's Chef Table, author, and farm-to-table frontrunner Dan Barber on how millennial appetites for authenticity are shaping the future of food.
Watch
The Sweetgreen Supply Chain - 1:19
A behind the seeds look at the farmers and field operatives connecting people to real food at scale.
WatchMeet the six farmers taking the koginut squash from seed-to-sweetgreen
- 1Pedersen Farms (NY)A Cornell Ag school graduate, Rick Pedersen is a true soil farmer who believes growing healthy soil is the key to productive yields and great flavor.
- 2Ward’s Berry Farm (MA)Brothers Jim and Bob Ward love to grow winter squash (of which koginut is) and often use a “no till” system where the soil is left undisturbed, keeping organic matter healthy.
- 3Cedar Meadow Farm (PA)Steve Groff has tended to his farm for over 25 years. An advocate of no-till farming—some of his fields have not been tilled in over 30 years.
- 4Nichols Farm (IL)30 years after planting a backyard family garden, Lloyd and Doreen Nichols, alongside their kids and grandchildren, now grow over 1,000 different fruits and vegetables.
- 5Riverdog Farm (CA)Located on the outskirts of San Francisco, Tim Mueller’s organic crops thrive on 450 acres and provide seasonal food to his local community for over 25 years.
- 6Weiser Family Farms (CA)Formerly an East L.A. chemistry teacher, Sid Weiser packed up his family in 1978 and moved to Tehachapi, California, where he’s dedicated to harvesting at peak ripeness.
Meet the six farmers taking the koginut squash from seed-to-sweetgreen
Koginut Squash Bowl by Dan Barber sweetgreen x row 7
Roasted koginut squash, pears, sliced fennel, basil, local goat cheese, raw walnuts, toasted almonds, toasted buckwheat, organic wild rice, organic spinach, lemon squeeze, balsamic vinaigrette (730 cal)
Roasted Squash Fries by Dan Barber sweetgreen x row 7
Roasted koginut squash, smoked goat cheese dip, toasted buckwheat, ground dried lime
Koginut Squash Bowl by Dan Barber sweetgreen x row 7
Roasted koginut squash, pears, sliced fennel, basil, local goat cheese, raw walnuts, toasted almonds, toasted buckwheat, organic wild rice, organic spinach, lemon squeeze, balsamic vinaigrette (730 cal)
Roasted Squash Fries by Dan Barber sweetgreen x row 7
Roasted koginut squash, smoked goat cheese dip, toasted buckwheat, ground dried lime
This story begins with a seed. Actually, scratch that. It begins with 100,000 seeds and a phone call we received the day before Row 7’s launch. The call came from Nic Jammet, sweetgreen co-founder, who said he wanted to feature Row 7 in stores nationwide. I thought he was kidding. Then he placed an order for 100,000 squash seeds, and suddenly our not-yet-launched seed company had coast-to-coast roots.
But this is exactly why we started a seed company in the first place — to democratize deliciousness. Real flavor doesn’t start with the chef, or even with the farmer; it begins with plant breeders—the people creating the original recipe for our ingredients. Unfortunately, most plant breeders today are asked to breed for yield, shelf-life and ship-ability, at the expense of good food. What if chefs and eaters could help write the recipe? For the past several years, we’ve been doing exactly that: testing (and tasting) in the field and kitchen, bringing chefs and breeders together to co-select new vegetables hard-wired for flavor.
We launched Row 7 to bring those ingredients beyond the walls of white tablecloth restaurants and onto plates everywhere. We are starting a flavor MUTINY, and sweetgreen was one of the first to join. We hope you will too.
Sincerely,
Dan Barber
Co-founder, Row 7 Seed Company
Chef and co-owner, Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns
Founded by Chef Dan Barber, vegetable breeder Michael Mazourek and organic seedsman Matthew Goldfarb, Row 7 is a seed company grounded in the notion that deliciousness can change the world. Row 7 pairs chefs and plant breeders to develop new varieties of vegetables and grains that make an impact in the soil and at the table, striving to make ingredients taste better before they ever hit a plate.
At sweetgreen, we’re in the business of feeding people, and we’re out to change what that means. A portion of the proceeds from all Koginut squash dishes in NYC will help support GrowNYC. Through their Beginning Farmers Program, GrowNYC trains the next generation of regional farmers through mentorship with established farmers and strengthens rural communities, farmers' markets and the region’s food system as a whole.
Founded by Chef Dan Barber, vegetable breeder Michael Mazourek and organic seedsman Matthew Goldfarb, Row 7 is a seed company grounded in the notion that deliciousness can change the world. Row 7 pairs chefs and plant breeders to develop new varieties of vegetables and grains that make an impact in the soil and at the table, striving to make ingredients taste better before they ever hit a plate.
At sweetgreen, we’re in the business of feeding people, and we’re out to change what that means. A portion of the proceeds from all koginut squash dishes in NYC will help support GROWNYC. Through their Beginning Farmers Program, Grow NYC trains the next generation of regional farmers through mentorship with established farmers and strengthens rural communities, farmers' markets and the region’s food system as a whole.