Way to Grow

A local entrepreneur gets his hands dirty.

October 30th, 2014 by: Lianna Patch

It’s a sad reality that often, fresh fruits and vegetables are more expensive than canned or processed versions — but what if you could grow your own? Henry Clay DuQuesnay hopes to give you that option soon. Describing himself as a “serial entrepreneur looking to move on to a new project,” DuQuesnay founded Earth Prime Inc. in April 2011. 

“I thought making better use of green space was a great idea, especially with the favorable climate in New Orleans,” he says.

With the release of iGardenX, DuQuesnay plans to call out “Big Oil” companies like BP and Shell. “If they care about the environment and reducing their carbon footprint, they will buy these super-efficient food systems and donate to community organizations like Hollygrove, the Healing Center, Liberty’s Kitchen and other such groups helping people feed themselves,” he says. 

DuQuesnay is currently seeking — dare we say it? — seed funding for the iGardenX system. “Imagine waking in the morning, walking to your backyard or balcony and picking fresh bell peppers, tomatoes, maybe some basil — and cooking a farm-fresh omelet within 10 minutes of waking,” he says. “Most people would think this is impossible, expensive or hard to do, but it’s not. And it doesn’t have to be ugly or space-consuming. It can be quite beautiful.” earthprimeinc.com