Los Angeles, California · Pre-Launch 2026

Growing Food.
Ending Homelessness.
Building Equity.

Humble Farms is the only organization in Los Angeles combining aeroponic vertical farming, permanent dignified housing, commercial food production, and resident equity ownership — on one integrated 5–7 acre core campus.

“I grew up on these streets. I know exactly what was missing — and I’m building it.”
— Carlos Azucena, Founder

$5M
Startup Capital Required
$2.0M+
Year 3 Revenue Target
50+
Individuals Housed
40–52%
Gross Margin
Executive Summary

Humble Farms is a mission-driven nonprofit in formation (501(c)(3) application in progress) with a for-profit subsidiary, operating on a 5–7 acre core campus in the Los Angeles area. We address the interconnected crises of homelessness, food insecurity, and social disconnection through an integrated model combining sustainable agriculture, dignified housing, and economic empowerment.

Strategic Technology Partnership

A Proud Alliance With John Faircloth
Tower Farms  /  True Garden

We are proud to partner with John Faircloth, Authorized Commercial Representative for Tower Farms / True Garden. John has provided the official Designing a Tower Farm manual, marketing materials, technical guidance, and ongoing support. This partnership ensures we implement industry-best practices from day one.

480-586-1750  •  JohnF@Truegarden.com  •  TowerFarms.com

Official
Tower Farms Manual
Day One
Best Practices
Full
Ongoing ACR Support
Aeroponic Farming Dignified Housing On-Site Restaurant Commercial Kitchen Resident Equity Tower Farms Partner
Humble Farms campus vision — aeroponic towers and Boxabl modular homes in Los Angeles
5–7 Acre Core Campus · Los Angeles Area
Our Mission

The Crisis Demands an Integrated Answer

Los Angeles County recorded 72,308 individuals experiencing homelessness in the 2025 point-in-time count. Food insecurity affects 68% of the unhoused population. No single-pillar solution — housing alone, food banks alone, job training alone — has solved this. Humble Farms was built on a different premise: that housing, nutrition, employment, and economic ownership must be delivered together, on one campus, through one self-sustaining model.

Mission

To cultivate dignity, nourishment, and belonging by providing formerly homeless individuals with secure housing, meaningful employment, and community connection through sustainable vertical farming and value-added organic food production.

Vision

A Los Angeles where every person has access to safe housing, nutritious food, purposeful work, and a supportive community.

$76.6B
U.S. Organic Market (2025)
$12B
CA Organic Annual Sales
5–7 Acres
Los Angeles Campus
Year 3 Q3
Break-Even Target
See Our Full Model →
Core Values

What We Stand For

Kindness Through
Loving Action
Radical
Sustainability
Empowerment
& Equity
Community
& Connection
Transparency
& Accountability
The Founder

From South Central to the Screen.
Now Back to the Block.

“I grew up on the streets of South Central Los Angeles, Watts, and Compton. I know what it feels like when the systems around you are designed to keep you down. I spent twenty years learning how to make something out of nothing in Hollywood. Now I’m using everything I know to build something that gives people the same fighting chance I fought for.”

Carlos Azucena — Founder & Executive Director, Humble Farms

Twenty Years in Film & Television

Carlos is a cinematographer and filmmaker with over two decades of experience in the motion picture and television industry — working in feature films, television, music videos, commercials, visual effects, and experimental productions. He has worked alongside Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and many of Hollywood’s most celebrated directors across every phase of production, from development through post.

That career gave Carlos a rare skill: the ability to produce high-caliber, high-impact work with limited resources. It is the same skill he now applies to Humble Farms — building something extraordinary from the ground up, on a shoestring, with everything on the line.

Roots in South Central Los Angeles

Carlos grew up on the streets of South Central Los Angeles, Watts, and Compton. He understands the harsh urban experience not as a statistic but as a lived reality — which is precisely why Humble Farms is not a charity project. It is a direct response to what Carlos knows was missing from his own neighborhood: dignified housing, nutritious food, meaningful work, and someone who genuinely cares.

Carlos envisions Humble Farms as the foundation for a larger movement — one that eventually creates pathways for at-risk youth in South Central to discover filmmaking, agriculture, entrepreneurship, and their own power to build something that matters.

20+
Years in Film & TV
2
Legendary Directors
LA
South Central Born
View on IMDb
Aerial view of Los Angeles neighborhood

Los Angeles. 72,000+ neighbors without a home.
Humble Farms is changing that.

The Ten-Pillar Model

No Organization in Los Angeles
Has Built All Ten of These

Every comparable organization has one or two of these pillars. Humble Farms has all ten, on one campus.

Aeroponic Vertical Farming

143 True Garden towers in Phase 1, scaling to 572 by Year 3 — 122,400+ lbs annually at full build. 95% less water, 90% less land, 365-day harvest, zero pesticides. Standard 13-section towers yield 52 plants at 2.9m; high-density models reach 164 plant ports per tower. 143 fills exactly one 40-foot turnkey container and one complete irrigation system.

Aeroponic tower nutrient circulation diagram

Soil-free aeroponic technology — nutrient mist to roots, zero pesticides, 365-day harvest.

Permanent Dignified Housing
Boxabl Casita exterior — modular home open to show furnished interior Boxabl Casita floor plan

50+ Boxabl Casitas at all-in costs of $110,000–$160,000 per unit. Each Casita is a fully equipped private home — kitchen, bathroom, living area, bedroom — deployable in days. No preconditions. Housing First is the evidence-based model and LA County’s $843M Measure A proves it is the funded model too. A minimum of 25% of all residences are reserved for veterans, filled through coordinated entry and veteran service partners.

Commercial Kitchen & Food Processing Facility
Humble Farms commercial kitchen in operation Conveyor-assisted bowl assembly system inspired by Sweetgreen Infinite Kitchen

2,400 sq ft commercial kitchen and processing facility producing organic chips, salsas, nut butters, jams, and herb blends. Built to USDA-FSIS construction and sanitation standards, operated under FDA/FSMA authority — FDA-registered, CDPH-licensed, HACCP plan under a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual, certified organic handler. 40–52% gross margins. Implements a conveyor-assisted assembly system inspired by Sweetgreen’s Infinite Kitchen — sized to campus demand rather than a chain’s national throughput — enabling $10–$13 salads at our on-site restaurant.

Living-Wage Workforce Development
Workers monitoring vertical farm with technology

$18.50–$22/hr from Month 2. Paid training: agriculture, food safety, kitchen operations, financial literacy. 60+ living-wage jobs created by Year 3, with clear pathways to advancement and equity ownership.

Resident Equity Ownership
Handshake representing equity partnership

Equity in our for-profit subsidiary reserved for resident-employees, vesting over two years. This is not a perk — it is the most powerful differentiator in our model. No comparable organization offers this.

Blockchain QR Traceability 2026
Person scanning a QR code with smartphone

Every product carries a blockchain-anchored QR code. Scan it to see the tower it was grown in, the harvest date, the certification, the provenance tier, and the social impact of your purchase — with the grower named only where they have chosen to share it. 71% of consumers pay a premium for this verified transparency.

Verified Regenerative Performance 2026
Aerial view of wind turbines and green farmland

Aeroponic production uses 95% less water, eliminates hundreds of food miles per pound delivered, and produces on 90% less land. Every figure is metered, published and independently reportable — gallons per pound, miles eliminated, organics diverted under SB 1383. Verified performance is what funders, retailers and certifying bodies actually reward.

AI Tower Monitoring 2026
Data analyst monitoring AI tower systems in real time

Machine learning processes real-time sensor data from all 143 towers — optimizing harvest timing, detecting anomalies, and recommending crop rotations that maximize revenue per square foot. All data is blockchain-anchored automatically. Our kitchen also implements a conveyor-assisted assembly system inspired by Sweetgreen’s Infinite Kitchen — now owned by Wonder Group — specified to campus demand and procured from a food equipment integrator, freeing our resident workforce to focus on quality and creativity.

Animal Rescue & Therapy Program
Rescued dog and cat together — Animal Rescue Program at Humble Farms

Every person who calls Humble Farms home is welcome to adopt a rescued animal from our on-site rescue — a program operated by seniors and residents who want to work with animals. Therapeutic interaction with rescued animals fosters connection, reduces stress, and builds the compassion and sense of responsibility that underpin long-term healing and stability.

Creative Production Studio
Film production studio

A dedicated space with professional film, audio, and editing equipment for residents to create films, shows, and digital content — led by a founder with over 20 years in Hollywood who has worked alongside Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. This is not an arts-and-crafts room. This is a real production facility with a real mentor. Every resident’s story deserves to be told on their own terms.

Every Comparable Organization Has One or Two Pillars.

Humble Farms is the only campus where all of them operate as one system.

OrganizationHousingFarmKitchenEquityTraceabilityRestaurant
Humble FarmsYESYESYESYESYESYES
Homeboy IndustriesYESYESYES
PATHYES
Vertical HarvestYES
Growing HomeYES
SweetgreenYES

Organizations shown do excellent work within their pillars — the comparison illustrates integration, not quality. Swipe to see all columns on mobile.

Our Commitment to Veterans

At Least 25% of Every Home on Our Campus Is Reserved for a Veteran

The people who served this country should never sleep on its streets. Humble Farms reserves a minimum of one in four campus residences for veterans experiencing homelessness — with the same private Boxabl home, the same living-wage employment from Month 2, and the same pathway to equity ownership as every resident. Not a separate program. A permanent seat at the same table.

Guaranteed Placement

A minimum of 25% of all residences — 12+ homes at full build-out — are held for veterans, filled through LA County coordinated entry and veteran service partner referrals.

Partner Pipeline

We are building referral partnerships with established Los Angeles veteran-serving organizations so veterans move from the street to a private home through channels they already know and trust.

The Full Journey

Veteran residents receive everything the Humble Farms model offers: paid training at $18.50–$22/hr, certifications, peer community, animal therapy, the creative studio, and vested equity in our for-profit subsidiary.

1 in 4Homes Reserved

This reservation will be codified in board-adopted governance policy and binding unit set-aside agreements as our Board of Directors is seated — so the commitment outlives any single leader, funder, or phase of growth.

Impact-Grown Products

Every Purchase Ends Homelessness.
Verified on the Blockchain.

Our “Impact-Grown by Humble Farms” brand links every product via QR code to the specific resident, tower, and social impact generated by each purchase.

Humble Farms organic chips with dips and fresh ingredients
52% Margin
Organic Chips

Kale, beet, sweet potato, and corn varieties in compostable bags. Pesticide-free, grown in our towers, seasoned in our on-site kitchen.

$8.50 retail
Humble Farms artisanal salsas in jars
52% Margin
Artisanal Salsas

Roasted tomato, mango-habanero, and tomatillo verde in 12oz jars. Chef-developed recipes using produce grown feet from our kitchen.

$9.00 retail
Humble Farms organic nut butter
48% Margin
Nut Butters

Small-batch organic nut butters from harvested nuts and seeds. Crafted by our resident workforce in our on-site kitchen.

$12.00 retail
Fresh organic produce in market baskets
40% Margin
Fresh Organic Produce

25+ varieties of leafy greens, herbs, microgreens, and specialty crops. Available direct-to-restaurant, CSA subscription, and LA farmers markets.

Wholesale & CSA
Farm-fresh restaurant salads
52% Margin
Restaurant Wholesale

Hyper-local certified organic produce for LA restaurants. Our greens enable chefs to serve premium organic salads under $18 — well below the $22–$25 industry norm — while improving margins through eliminated cold-chain costs.

Pre-contracted wholesale
Humble Farms jams and preserves
48% Margin
Jams, Preserves & Herb Blends

Seasonal fruit jams, preserves, dried snacks, and organic herb blends. Small-batch, hand-labeled, with resident story packaging for specialty grocers and DTC.

$10–$11 retail
Commercial kitchen at Humble Farms
40–52% Margins
Commercial Kitchen

Our 2,400 sq ft commercial kitchen and processing facility is the engine behind all value-added products. Every item is crafted by our resident workforce using produce grown feet away — zero distribution, zero cold chain, maximum freshness.

On-site production

Retail placement: Specialty Grocers · Co-ops · Farmers Markets · DTC · Corporate Gifting

Become a Retail Partner →
Provenance Standard

Every Claim on the Label
Is One You Can Check

Nut butters need purchased nuts. Jams need purchased fruit. So every package carries one of three tiers — and the tier is exactly what the customer can verify.

CAMPUS-GROWN
Grown in our towers.
Harvested from Tower 14 on 3 March
CAMPUS-CRAFTED
Made in our facility by our residents from ingredients we name and source.
Almonds from a named Central Valley farm; roasted and jarred here
PARTNER-SOURCED
Grown by a named partner farm to our written standard.
Grown by a named partner; packed here
Our Product Family

Fonseca Salsa · original recipe. Amalia’s Salsa · roasted tomato. Azucena — A Su Mesa tortilla chips with sea salt. Living Lettuce, pesticide free and fresher longer. Microgreens, nutrient dense and local. Cold Pressed Juice, 100% raw and unpasteurised. Heritage recipes, clean ingredients, sustainably grown — named for the families they came from.

On-Campus Restaurant

Farm-to-Table in Under 10 Minutes.
Salads From $10–$13.

Because every ingredient is grown on our campus and processed in our on-site kitchen next door, our on-site restaurant eliminates every cost that drives up salad prices — no distributors, no cold-chain logistics, no middlemen, no spoilage. The result: organic salads at $10–$13, a fraction of the $22–$25 charged at comparable LA farm-to-table restaurants.

Inspired by the conveyor-assisted assembly model pioneered by Sweetgreen’s Infinite Kitchen — now owned by Wonder Group following their $186.4M acquisition on 6 November 2025 — our kitchen implements targeted conveyor-assisted automation specified to campus demand. Automation serves our people — it never replaces them.

$10–$13
Organic salad, on-site
$22–$25
LA industry average
Sized
To campus demand, conveyor-assisted
0 Miles
Farm to bowl, on-site
Partner With Us →

On-Campus Restaurant · Humble Farms · Los Angeles

A new world ending homelessness — Humble Farms vision

“Kindness Through Loving Action” · Humble Farms · Los Angeles

Measurable Outcomes

Real Numbers.
Real Lives Changed.

50+
Individuals housed in dignified Boxabl homes
25%
Of all homes reserved for veterans — 12+ at full build-out
60+
Living-wage jobs created by Year 3
85%
Residents still housed at 12 months post-program
$8,500
Average resident savings by Month 18
50,000+
Lbs of organic food distributed within 3 years
122,400+
Lbs produced annually across 572 towers
95%
Less water vs. conventional farming
Year 3
Break-even (EBITDA positive, Q3)
Rows of Tower Farms aeroponic towers
Innovation — 2026 Technology Stack

Where Organic Farming
Meets Web3

Blockchain traceability, verified regenerative performance, AI monitoring, conveyor-assisted kitchen automation, and Web3 giving infrastructure — an impact enterprise as technologically advanced as it is human-centered.

Blockchain QR Traceability

Every product batch is anchored on an immutable blockchain ledger. The worker who harvests records it; the system attaches the full environmental history of that growing cycle automatically. Each QR code reveals the tower, the resident, the certification, and the impact — in real time. 71% of consumers pay a premium for this transparency.

Conveyor-Assisted Kitchen Automation

Inspired by the Infinite Kitchen — pioneered by Sweetgreen and acquired by Wonder Group on 6 November 2025 for $186.4M — our kitchen uses targeted conveyor automation for portioning and assembly. Specified to campus demand. Automation serves our people. It never replaces them.

Verified Regenerative Performance

Our aeroponic system uses 95% less water than conventional farming, on 90% less land, with zero pesticides and near-zero food miles. Water intensity per pound, miles eliminated and organics diverted under SB 1383 are metered and published — verified performance rather than asserted impact.

Crypto & Web3 Donations

USDC and BTC donations via Endaoment.org — instant settlement, near-zero fees. NFT “Founding Farmer” badges on Base (Coinbase L2). Gitcoin quadratic funding rounds amplify small donations through matching pools.

Strategic Technology Partner

John Faircloth — Tower Farms / True Garden

Authorized Commercial Representative • 480-586-1750JohnF@Truegarden.com
John has provided the official Designing a Tower Farm manual, financial forecasting tools, CAD farm layout drawings, and six months of post-installation ACR support.

95%
Less Water
6 mo
ACR Support
CAD
Farm Layout
Technology Partners

Five Partners.
Every System Documented.

Each selected on engineering merit before brand — and each measured, published and independently reportable from the day it is installed.

Why These Four

Tower Farms because tower architecture gives every unit an independent pump and reservoir — a failure costs one tower, never the crop. Boxabl because a folded factory-built home arrives on a trailer and is habitable in days rather than quarters. Tesla because the campus critical load — refrigeration, aeroponic pumps, life safety and resident medical devices — cannot go dark, and standalone storage retains the full federal investment credit through 2033. Starlink because food safety records and resident services cannot depend on a single fibre line. xAI because forecasting readiness across 572 towers on staggered cycles is exactly what large models are good at — and because it will never be pointed at a resident.

The Resident Journey

From the Street to Equity Ownership
in 24 Months

Month 1
Immediate Stabilization

Move-in to private Boxabl home. No preconditions. Food, healthcare navigation, mental health assessment. Peer mentorship assignment.

Months 2–6
Paid Training

$18.50/hr from Day 1. Agriculture, kitchen operations, food safety, financial literacy. Living wage with full benefits.

Months 7–12
Certification & Promotion

Food Handler, OSHA 10, organic agriculture certifications. Wages scale to $22/hr. Equity vesting begins. Lead roles with expanded responsibility.

24+ Months
Equity & Permanence

15% of for-profit subsidiary vested. Pathway to permanent housing or on-site rent-to-own. Alumni network and ongoing community connection.

The Firewall

If a resident stops working, they keep their home. If they relapse, they keep their home. Employment consequences and housing consequences are administered by different people, in different systems, and are never linked. Housing is never conditioned on work, sobriety, treatment or programme participation. This is the single most important rule on the campus, and it is the one that will come under the most pressure.

Equity Without a Cliff

Vesting can cost a resident their SSI, Medi-Cal and housing subsidy — the countable resource limit is $2,000 and the 2026 federal SSI payment is $994 a month, so two months of unspent benefits reaches the cliff. Funded, independent benefits counselling happens before any vesting event, with an unconditional right to defer or decline. ABLE accounts, excluded up to $100,000 for SSI purposes, are part of the toolkit. A promise withdrawn from someone failed by systems their whole life does more damage than a promise never made.

Timeline & Milestones

Three Phases to
Full Operation

A clear, phased path from groundbreaking to break-even — each stage building on the last, with measurable milestones at every step.

Phase 1 — 2026
Foundation & Build-Out
  • Secure 5–7 acre Los Angeles core campus
  • Install 143 Tower Garden systems — one complete irrigation system
  • Construct 2,400 sq ft commercial kitchen & processing facility
  • Place first 25 Boxabl Casitas on permanent foundations
  • Install Tesla solar and battery storage
  • Hire core operations team
  • Homekey+ pre-application consultation with HCD
  • Begin grant applications and seed fundraising
Phase 2 — 2027
Launch & First Residents
  • Welcome first cohort of 25 residents
  • Launch on-site restaurant operations
  • Begin commercial kitchen value-added production
  • Open to farmers markets and wholesale channels
  • Launch blockchain QR traceability system
  • Expand to 286 towers (second irrigation system)
  • Add remaining 25 Boxabl homes (50+ total)
Phase 3 — 2027–2028
Scale & Break-Even
  • Scale to full 60+ resident workforce
  • Expand to 572 towers across four independent systems
  • Reach $2.0M+ Year 3 revenue target
  • Achieve EBITDA break-even (Year 3, Q3)
  • Launch Animal Rescue & Therapy Program
  • Open Creative Production Studio
  • Begin national replication planning
The Campus

The Complete
Ecosystem Blueprint

Every element supports the whole. Fourteen steps from seed to salad, eight human services, and one closed loop where waste becomes compost, water is recycled, and energy is generated on site.

Humble Farms complete ecosystem blueprint showing the seed-to-salad production journey, campus site layout, and human ecosystem services
The Complete Ecosystem Blueprint · Seed to Salad, Purpose to Community
Aerial rendering of the Humble Farms campus at sunrise showing aeroponic towers, solar arrays, housing and community buildings
A Place to Live. A Place to Grow. A Place to Belong.
A day at Humble Farms timeline from 6:00 AM rise and reflect through 8:00 PM reflect and rest
A Day at Humble Farms · Purpose Fills Every Hour
Life at Humble Farms: seniors caring for rescue cats, veterans with rescue dogs, children learning to grow, cooking together, meditation garden, community chapel, fitness, community dinner and celebration
Healing People. Restoring Purpose. Building Community.
Humble Farms product line: Fonseca Salsa, Amalia's Salsa, Azucena A Su Mesa tortilla chips, living lettuce, microgreens and cold pressed juice
Clean Ingredients · Heritage Recipes · Sustainably Grown · Made With Love
Human Ecosystem

We Don’t Just Help People.
We Build a Community.

Eight services on one campus, so that a person never has to travel across a county to assemble a life.

Senior Living
Dignity · Purpose · Community
Rescue Dog Sanctuary
Love · Heal · Purpose
Rescue Cat Haven
Care · Comfort · Healing
Spiritual Center
Faith · Meditation · Growth
Wellness & Therapy
Mind · Body · Soul
Workforce Training
Skills · Certifications · Jobs
Childcare & Youth
Learn · Play · Grow
Medical Clinic
Care · Prevent · Heal
The Journey

Seed to Salad,
in Fourteen Steps

01
Seed Genetics
Non-GMO, high performance
02
Germination Lab
Controlled environment, AI monitoring
03
Nursery
Cloning & rooting, optimal start
04
Aeroponic Towers
Vertical, efficient, pesticide-free
05
AI Vision Inspection
Quality scanning, yield optimisation
06
Harvest
Peak freshness, 24/7 cycle
07
Cold Storage
Temperature perfect
08
Commercial Kitchen
Recipes & production
09
Packaging
Sustainable, smart
10
Warehouse
Inventory & logistics
11
EV Delivery Fleet
100% electric
12
Restaurant & Retail
Fresh daily delivery
13
Customer App
Order · Earn · Impact
14
Delivered
Farm fresh to you
SustainableBy Design
Self-SufficientBy Operation
Community FirstBy Purpose
ScalableBy Model
ReplicableBy Mission
A Day at Humble Farms

Purpose Fills
Every Hour

6:00 AM
Rise & Reflect
7:00 AM
Breakfast Together
8:00 AM
Work & Learn With Purpose
10:00 AM
Harvest the Future
12:00 PM
Cook & Create
2:00 PM
Train & Grow New Skills
4:00 PM
Serve & Support
6:00 PM
Dinner & Connect as One
8:00 PM
Reflect & Rest
Meaningful WorkNot just jobs
Spiritual GrowthNot mandatory religion
Real OwnershipBuild wealth
Strong CommunityNot isolation
Healing EnvironmentMind, body, soul
A Future to Believe InFor generations
Campus Systems

Every Element
Supports the Whole

SystemFunctionDesign basis
Renewable EnergyTesla solar generation with battery storageCritical panel carries refrigeration, aeroponic pumps, life safety, network and resident medical devices through a full outage
Water SystemsCapture, filter, reuseGreywater to ornamental and orchard only — it may never contact an edible crop. Kitchen and dishwasher water is excluded by California definition and goes to sewer
Organic InputsCompost and nutrientsOn-site composting sited 400 ft from leafy greens per LGMA guidance where animal products are composted
Community CenterEducation and eventsResident council meets here; community agreements are written and revised by residents annually
AmphitheaterGather, learn, inspireWeekly community dinners and the public face of the campus alongside the restaurant
Farmers MarketLocal, fresh, weeklyOutreach begins across LA County markets before the campus opens its doors
Cold StorageTemperature perfectOn the critical electrical panel — inventory value and food safety both depend on it
EV Delivery Fleet100% electricCampus charging integrated with solar and storage
Animal ZonesRescue dog sanctuary and cat havenSited 30 ft from growing areas per LGMA domestic-animal guidance. The FSMA Produce Safety Rule sets no setback distance
Every element supports the whole

Waste to compost — nothing wasted. Water recycling — every drop counts. Energy independence — clean, reliable, scalable. Local economy — jobs, ownership, dignity. We are not a shelter. We are a community. We don’t do things for people — we do things with people.

The Blueprint

Not a Business Plan.
An Engineering Programme.

A twelve-volume Master Design Specification is underway — so that when a parcel is secured, the design work is execution rather than discovery. Every load-bearing claim has been tested against statute, regulation, agency documentation and manufacturer rate cards.

Volume 1
Vision & Philosophy

Mission, values with falsification tests, brand architecture, the three-tier provenance standard, ten pillars, community rules, resident journey.

Complete
Volume 2
Master Systems Architecture

Two value chains, five shared substrates, and exactly four points where they touch. 48 pages, 41 engineering tables, interface and assumption registers.

Complete · Verified
Volume 4
Tower Farm Engineering

143-tower configuration priced against the manufacturer rate card. Yield analysis, irrigation architecture, electrical load, siting and setbacks.

Complete
Volumes 7 & 8
Analytics & Software

Crop forecasting, demand planning, maintenance scheduling. ERP as system of record for goods, case management for people, joined by a pseudonymous key only.

In progress
Volumes 5, 6, 9, 10
Facility, Line, Housing, Energy

Processing facility and HACCP architecture, conveyor line performance specification, housing certification pathway, microgrid and critical-load design.

Sequenced
Volumes 3 & 12
Campus & Construction

Roads, drainage, utilities, grading, sequencing and commissioning. Parcel-specific by nature — a design basis exists; the full volumes follow site control.

Awaiting parcel
Technical Specifications

The Numbers
Behind the Campus

Every figure below carries a source. Where a number is an assumption it is registered as one, with a named owner and a closing action.

ParameterSpecificationBasis
Phase 1 fleet143 towers, 13-section, 52 plant sites eachOne 40 ft turnkey container holds 145; one irrigation system serves up to 150 at full performance
Year 3 fleet572 towers across four independent systemsDemand-matched to 105,000–125,000 lb Year 3 requirement
Plant sites7,436 at Phase 1143 × 52 — manufacturer rate card
Growing area~2,950 sq ft Phase 1 · ~11,800 sq ft Year 320.6 sq ft per tower including aisles, propagation and nutrient handling
Reservoir volume3,575 gallons standing143 × 25 gal integral reservoir
Irrigation cycle3 minutes on, 12 minutes off, continuousNo more than 15 minutes of feed per hour
Pump architecture143 independent submersible pumpsNo single point of failure — a pump loss costs one tower. Spares held at 5–10% of fleet, documented swap under 15 minutes
Continuous harvest floor100 towers minimumBelow this a farm has harvest gaps; above it, rotation supports a daily harvest and a menu built from it
Tower selectionRegular towers throughoutHigh-density towers require ~4× planting medium and ~12× harvest labour — the wrong trade for a workforce in training
Farm labour~2–3 FTE Phase 1 · ~8–10 at full buildOne FTE per 75–100 towers plus a manager. The 60+ campus jobs come predominantly from the kitchen, restaurant, cold chain, case management and studio
Food safety authorityFDA / FSMA, CDPH licensedUSDA-FSIS covers meat, poultry and egg products only. Our product list falls entirely to FDA and the State of California
Acidified foods21 CFR 108.25 and Part 114Salsa requires FDA Form 2541 registration, a filed scheduled process per product per container size, a process authority, and a supervisor who has completed Better Process Control School
Data architectureERP for goods, case management for peopleJoined by a pseudonymous key only. The scheduler may see a resident is unavailable; it may never see why
LedgerBatch hashes onlyNo resident name, photograph or story is ever written to a public ledger. Consumer-facing stories appear only on explicit, revocable consent
Algorithmic boundaryNo model scores a residentNot eligibility, risk, tenancy, promotion or equity. Board-adopted policy and a binding term in every replication licence
Energy creditStorage retains full ITC through 2033§48E solar requires placed-in-service by 31 Dec 2027 for construction begun after 4 Jul 2026. A 501(c)(3) claims credits as direct payment under §6417
What the verification review found

It removed a revenue line no registry would have certified. It corrected the governing food regulator. It found a federal tax credit window that had closed. It caught a manufacturer pricing discrepancy of $4,655 on a single order — and it reversed one of its own earlier corrections when a second source proved the original figure right. Claims that did not survive were removed rather than softened. Where sealed engineering is required, a California-licensed professional authors it; this programme produces the performance specification they are engaged against. Full volumes available to partners, investors and funders on request.

Financial Plan

Built to Be Self-Sustaining.
Stress-Tested Against Real 2026 Costs.

Revenue StreamYear 1Year 2Year 3
Fresh Organic Produce$90,000$155,000$275,000
Value-Added Products (Kitchen)$60,000$220,000$495,000
On-Campus Restaurant$205,000$491,000$898,000
Grants (Federal, State, Local)$245,000$260,000$210,000
Philanthropic Donations$120,000$145,000$80,000
CSA & Farmers Market$25,000$55,000$80,000
Total Revenue$745,000$1,326,000$2,038,000

Restaurant revenue shown net of COGS (78–82% gross margin; 100 bowls/day in Year 1 scaling to 280/day by Year 3). Year 1 volumes run on the initial 143 towers; Years 2–3 scale-up adds three further irrigation systems to reach 572 towers, funded from operating revenue. Regular towers are specified throughout — the licensor advises high-density towers require roughly 4× the planting medium and 12× the harvest labour.

Key Metrics — Year 3

40–52%
Gross Margin, Value-Added Products
Year 3 Q3
Break-Even (EBITDA Positive)
$5M
Startup Capital Required
$3–4M
Net Target After Grants & Subsidies

Capital Stack — $5M Target

SourceAmount
Impact Equity (Seed Round)$1.5M
Philanthropic Foundations$800K
Measure A Innovations Fund$250K
State + Local Grants$400K
Federal Agriculture Grants$400K
Year 1 Earned Revenue$380K
Total Identified$3.73M+

Targeting net $3–4M after grants and subsidies. Bridge financing available from committed impact investors.

Housing Capital

A Separate Stack,
Because It Is a Separate Raise

Housing capital and enterprise capital come from different sources with different requirements. At $110,000–$160,000 all-in per Casita, 50 homes represent a $5.5M–$8.0M programme — raised alongside the $5M enterprise stack, not inside it.

SourceIndicativeNote
HCD Homekey+$150K–$200K per door$2.2B from Prop 1, open and awarding on a rolling basis. March 2026 amendment incentivises veterans’ units
Match — philanthropicBalanceNamed home sponsorships and veteran-designated giving
Home Depot Foundation$100K–$500KVeteran housing capital — Phase 2 eligibility after track record and audited financials
Phase 1 — 25 units$2.75M–$4.0MRemaining 25 homes follow in Phase 2
First action

A pre-application consultation with HCD is a programme requirement before a Homekey+ application may be submitted. It is free, requires no site control, and is scheduled as a first-quarter action — along with confirming that factory-built Casitas satisfy the programme’s unit standards on permanent foundations.

Leadership & Governance

The People Behind
the Mission

Carlos Azucena
Founder & Executive Director  •  Cinematographer & Filmmaker

Carlos is a cinematographer and filmmaker with over twenty years of experience in the motion picture and television industry. He has worked on major feature films, television shows, music videos, commercials, and visual effects productions alongside Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and many of Hollywood’s most celebrated directors — in every capacity from development through post-production.

Carlos grew up on the streets of South Central Los Angeles, Watts, and Compton. That lived experience is not background color — it is the foundation of Humble Farms. He knows precisely what was missing from his neighborhood, and he has spent his career building the skills to do something about it. His ability to produce high-caliber, high-impact work with limited resources — honed over two decades in Hollywood — is the same ability he now brings to building this campus from the ground up.

Carlos also envisions Humble Farms as the seed of a larger foundation for at-risk youth in South Central — providing technical support, creative expression, and the living proof that dreams are buildable.

Advisory Board & Board of Directors
In Formation — Experts Across Every Pillar

Our Advisory Board and Board of Directors are actively being formed with experts in agriculture, social services, finance, law, and governance. Our goal is 30% representation from individuals with lived experience of homelessness — because the people who know this challenge most deeply must have a seat at the table.

We are seeking advisors and board members across the following domains:

Urban Agriculture Social Services Impact Finance Nonprofit Law Food Safety & FDA Lived Experience LA Housing Policy Retail & Distribution

Interested in joining our advisory board? Contact Carlos directly.

Hands holding a sprouting seedling
Partner With Humble Farms

Six Ways to Be Part
of This Story

Humble Farms represents a transformational opportunity to address Los Angeles’ most pressing challenges through an integrated, financially sustainable, and deeply human-centered model.

Impact Investors

Equity in our for-profit subsidiary. Board observer rights available. Two exit pathways: equity appreciation in the LA campus and national replication licensing revenue.

$250K+ · Equity in For-Profit Subsidiary
Philanthropic Partners

Grants to our nonprofit (501(c)(3) application in progress) supporting housing and social services. Named tower sponsorships. “Sponsor a Resident’s First Year” packages with quarterly impact reporting.

$25K+ Grants · Named Impact Sponsorships
Retail & Distribution

Specialty grocers, co-ops, and marketplaces seeking impact-driven, blockchain-verified organic brands. Priority placement for founding retail partners who join early.

Wholesale · Co-branding · DTC Partnership
Chef & Restaurant Partners

Farm-to-table contracts for hyper-local, traceable produce. Our greens enable premium organic salads under $18 — well below the $22–$25 industry norm. On-farm dinners and chef collaborations available.

Pre-contracted Wholesale · Story-Driven Sourcing
Web3 & Crypto Donors

USDC and BTC via Endaoment.org. NFT Founding Farmer badges on Base. Gitcoin quadratic funding rounds. ReFi grants via Regen Network and ReFi DAO.

Any Amount · Crypto-Native Giving
Cross-Partnerships

Homeboy Industries referral pipeline. PATH and LAHSA coordinated entry. LACI cleantech network. Co-branded “Made in LA by Hands That Healed” product collaborations.

Referral · Co-branding · Service Partnerships
Community Outreach

Meeting Los Angeles
at the Farmers Market

Before our campus opens its doors, Humble Farms will be a presence throughout Los Angeles County — introducing our mission, our people, and our products to the communities we serve.

Busy urban farmers market with fresh produce
Organic kale being cooked on-site at market
Outdoor farmers market with fresh organic greens
Free Samples

Samples of all our products — organic chips, artisanal salsas, nut butters, jams, and fresh greens — will be available at every market visit. Taste the mission before it ships to shelves.

Live Cooking

Our chefs will prepare fresh vegan organic dishes on-site using produce grown on our campus. Farm-to-bowl in real time — a living demonstration of what Humble Farms makes possible every day.

LA County Markets

We will be reaching out across Los Angeles County farmers markets to introduce our community to the people, the produce, and the purpose behind Humble Farms. Come find us, taste our food, and hear our story.

Our Community

A place where every person is seen,
valued, and given a chance to thrive.

Going Home — A Documentary on Homelessness in Los Angeles

The Only Organic Products That
Directly End Homelessness.

Every purchase provides nourishment and living-wage work to a formerly homeless neighbor — grown on our Los Angeles campus, crafted in our kitchen, connected to a human story.

QR code to contact Humble Farms
Scan to connect
CarlosAzucena@Protonmail.com
323-351-4547