He knew that moving from a well-established multinational company to a young urban farming start-up was a “high-risk career move”. 

Mr Jack Moy, then aged 30, had no knowledge of agriculture technology. He would also have to take a 20 per cent pay cut.

Yet in 2017, the former Unilever e-commerce manager decided to cultivate a new career path, joining local start-up Sustenir as a sales manager.

Mr Moy’s motivation? A burning desire to be “part of building something bigger”.

“I saw a start-up with big potential to have a strong positive impact in Singapore, and in other cities,” says Mr Moy, 37, who envisioned developing and expanding the brand into the retail sector.

Founded in 2013, Sustenir grows fresh produce – such as microgreens, edible flowers and leafy vegetables – within an indoor hydroponics farm in Sembawang. Compared with traditional farms, Sustenir can grow greens faster, at a fraction of the space required.

“The technology was there, but (from a) sales distribution perspective, there was nothing,” he says. “We wanted to have that direct engagement with consumers, enabling us to learn more about what they thought of our produce.”

With Mr Moy’s efforts, the company’s client base has expanded from a few eateries and restaurants such as The Soup Spoon and Ikea, to supermarket chains including Cold Storage and FairPrice, and online retailers such as RedMart.

He has also climbed the ranks within the firm, to general mana...