Episode 82: Orlane Panet, MicroHabitat

Unused rooftops are becoming food production powerhouses, and transforming real estate in the process. In this episode of The Capitalist Hippie, host Marco Pimentel sits down with Orlane Panet, co-founder of MicroHabitat, to unpack how a business that started with just two clients has scaled to over 400 urban farms across 14 cities in North America and Europe.

While traditional landscaping companies focus on ornamental plants and vertical farming startups build expensive indoor facilities, MicroHabitat created an entirely new category: turnkey urban farming as an amenity service. Their model requires just 250 square feet to create a thriving micro-ecosystem that delivers multiple benefits to property owners and occupants alike.

“We understood that creating micro pockets, micro habitats, small scale farming on multiple locations, decreasing the capital required to deploy those programs would make it not just a niche, it would make it available to a lot more people.”  

— Orlane Panet

The genius of their approach lies in its simplicity. Property owners pay for the service, MicroHabitat’s expert farmers handle everything from setup to weekly maintenance, and clients own 100% of the harvest, either distributing it internally or donating to local food banks through their community program. This model has allowed them to scale organically without outside investment, growing 2-3x annually while remaining entirely founder-owned.

By focusing on solving tangible problems for property owners, differentiation, employee satisfaction, and sustainability goals, MicroHabitat has built a business that proves purpose and profit can grow together, one rooftop at a time.