When asked “What makes you the most excited about what you’re doing “, Owen selflessly responded with “I like feeding people”, a response which showcases the type of person he is.
Owen Chase was born and raised in Worcester, as a kid he probably would have said when he grew up that he would want to make robots, he never would’ve imagined that today he would be running a successful microgreen business on his own. Maybe it was his experience in the boy scouts, or the time he spent helping his Mother in the home garden, or maybe even his first job at YouthGROW, a youth program under the Regional Environmental Council where he built garden beds for local schools, but it’s safe to say he gained a great love for the environment.
Just For Fun Farms, Owen’s microgreen business started as just an instagram in High School for him to post his adventures in nature and early gardening projects. In January of his senior year he began growing microgreens for friends and family. During this time Owen applied early decision to Clark University for their environmental programs and once he got to campus he found a whole new market for his business.
“It’s just for fun farms”, Owen truly does it for the community and the Clark community gives the love right back.
In October during his first year at Clark he began selling at the weekly popups, making his first sales and gaining loyal customers which would help his business grow. The success Owen found led to him being able to upgrade his equipment and expand his product line. Coming into his second year at Clark this expansion and growth did not stop, he still pops up every Wednesday to sell his microgreens. Just For Fun Farms has even collaborated with other vendors like Breads N’ Threadz and Cole the “Hummus Cowboy”, pairing his microgreens with their food products as well. Chase is also a participant in Clark Tank with hopes to gain investment to improve his business. Owen’s goal is to continue to grow and over the summer he is applying to sell at the REC Farmers Market where he can experience a non-Clark popup and sell to non-Clarkies.
One day Owen wants to get to a point with Just For Fun that he can sustainably donate food to organizations and pantries, and be able to expand his equipment and hire people to help sell. He loves learning and eventually would want to own multiple companies as he continues to learn new trades, all of which giving back to the community.
Keep an eye out for Owen and Just For Fun Farms, it’s rare to find someone so genuinely kind and wanting to give back and help the community. Follow his journey @just_for_fun_farms on Instagram and support his business!