Founder
Keith Rowan.
Navy veteran. EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute graduate. Part-time chef at Mendel's KC BBQ. Founder and Executive Director of Sowing the Seeds of Tomorrow.
Keith started STSOT in 2026 to do two things at once: supply Cleveland chefs with specialty microgreens, and open a door for veterans and formerly incarcerated adults to build their own green businesses.
The story
From water on the floor to room to grow.
In April 2026, the basement flooded the morning after Keith finished painting the lab. He dried it out, rebuilt it, and kept going.
In August 2026, Dante Allen became our first graduate. In September 2026, we vended our first market at Cleveland VegFest. By mid-October, modular expansion begins, with plenty of room to grow.
We flooded. We're fixing it. We kept going.
Honest about funding
Where the money came from.
Sowing the Seeds of Tomorrow is self-funded by Keith Rowan to date. No grants received. No corporate sponsors.
Equipment was acquired from Five Points Makery, a microgreens farm that was liquidating. They worked with us on payment terms at their advertised price. Our logo was designed by Ally Kokitka of Mural Madness, paid at agreed rate.
Partners who give us ongoing time, mentorship, and recurring orders include Mendel's KC BBQ, Fiamma, EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute, Central State Extension, Crown Point Ecology Center, and Rid-All Green Partnership.
Every dollar from product sales funds trays, seed, soil, and free training for the next cohort.
What's next
Where we're headed.
- Q4 2026: Vehicle acquired. Delivery expands beyond bus routes. Modular grow expansion begins.
- Also available: A free aquaponics fish stocking calculator, built on the work of Murray Hallam.
- Q1 2027: Mushroom production comes online. Advanced microgreens cohort launches.
- 2027: Edible flowers for restaurant Q4 plating. Consumer online ordering with pickup points.
- Long-term: Outdoor expansion through Cleveland Land Bank. Satellite grows run by Incubator graduates.