Originally published in the Napa Valley Register on January 9, 2023.
With their cotyledon leaves packed full of flavor and nutrition, microgreens are not every farmers market shopper’s usual staple. Luckily for us, if you stroll down the producer aisle of the Napa Farmers Market you can meet Jonathan Jones of Delta Microgreens. With an ever-present smile, abundance of knowledge, and an obvious passion for his work, Jonathan will teach you about all the many different microgreens he grows, their countless benefits for your health, and how they can be used to spice up your weekly cooking routine.
A local from Suisun, Jonathan is also a trained chef who cooked everywhere from Switzerland, the Caribbean, and New York City. After his worldly culinary experiences, Jonathan returned to California in 2011 and worked in the food and wine industry until 2018 when his friend introduced him to growing microgreens.
Jonathan’s friend, now business partner Lyle Bynum, was a backyard microgreen grower who recognized a niche market waiting to be filled. Together he and Jonathan started Delta Microgreens. Their first year was spent in a backyard greenhouse, learning what varieties grow best, growing cycles, and how to market their new product locally. Since then, Delta Microgreens grew into a thriving business that is still growing and adapting to be one of the Bay Area’s primary local microgreen producers.
One of the first things Jonathan will tell you is he is an entrepreneur and an overachiever. He never hesitated to start Delta Microgreens because he knew it was a project he could fall in love with, and it was something to channel all his skills and work ethic. And as Jonathan will tell you, “Everyone needs to eat, and someone needs to grow that food. So, people may as well eat something healthy, and I can be the person to grow their healthy food”.
Jonathan stumbled into being a grower, but now he finds growing to be a favorite part of the job. As a chef he always loved to learn where food came from, how it was delivered, how it was prepared, and on. Becoming a grower was eye opening to see how food is produced and much work goes into growing food.
Something Jonathan learned since starting Delta Microgreens is that people often take for granted the work that goes into making healthy food because so many people prioritize paying for unhealthy food that comes from larger, non-local companies. Jonathan and Lyle are still trying to crack the code on how to make shoppers value local producers who grow healthy food, but that is part of what makes Jonathan so good at his job. When you speak with Jonathan you feel his passion to educate shoppers and grow his business not only for himself, but also for the betterment of his community.
Previously Delta Microgreens sold at up to six different farmers markets in the Bay Area, but they now only sell at the Napa Farmers Market and direct-to-consumers. This was in part due to their need to focus the business and streamline after the loss of employees during last year’s labor shortage, but also so Jonathan and Lyle could focus on the many things that are required from a small business. Jonathan and Lyle’s teamwork are the indispensable strength in their business, but they look forward to finding new team members to help grow Delta Microgreens and take it to the next level.
Despite the many challenges of starting a business and becoming a grower, not once has Jonathan thought of giving up. Or as he says, “It won’t happen”. When challenges arrive, he knows he will never quit, so the only thing he can ask himself is, “What more can I do?”
Jonathan takes great pride in what he and Lyle accomplished. They started Delta Microgreens with only a vision and an idea, and never relied on the help of outside investors. For Jonathan, that means being proud of changing careers, learning about agriculture, gaining new skills, becoming an entrepreneur, being a successful Black business-owner, and being an example and legacy for his nieces and nephews. All these accomplishments are an anomaly to what he thought he would be doing, but he feels very fortunate to be on this path. He hopes to share this knowledge with others around him and to be a testament that they too can accomplish their goals with hard work, drive, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment.
So, if you want to try something new and healthy in your cooking routine and support a growing local business, come meet Jonathan at the Saturday Napa Farmers Market. You will love to meet him, you will learn from him, and he in return will be so happy to meet you. Because when asked what motivates him to get to the market every week he answered, “The people, meeting someone knew, growing our business, and changing the future”.