Podcast Summary: The Digital Executive – Ep 1224: Jim Kras: The New Age of Farming
Host: Coruzant Technologies
Guest: Jim Kras, CEO & Co-founder, Edible Garden
Date: April 1, 2026
Duration: ~11 minutes

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Coruzant Technologies sits down with Jim Kras, CEO and co-founder of Edible Garden, to explore the innovative future of agriculture. The discussion covers Jim’s career journey, the challenges of modern farming, the rise of controlled environment agriculture (CEA), and how Edible Garden leverages technology to bring trust, transparency, and consistency to fresh produce.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Career Beginnings and Lessons Learned

(01:02–02:19)

• Advertising Foundations: Jim began his career in advertising, stressing the importance of audience relevancy.
  • “It's really starting in advertising and understanding the importance of who you're speaking to and make sure that you have relevancy…to the consumer.” (Jim Kras, 01:27)
• Transition to Food & Ag Tech: Leveraged skills in branding and messaging to communicate Edible Garden’s mission around food quality, safety, and consumer relevance.
• Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA): Early recognition of CEA’s critical role in future food systems for quality and supply consistency.

2. Problem Solving in Traditional Agriculture

(02:58–04:51)

• Two Main Challenges Edible Garden Addresses:
  • Consistency & Freshness: The goal is to deliver produce that meets retailer and consumer expectations reliably.
  • Perishability & Fill Rates: Treating produce “like a widget,” ensuring a consistent supply—shipping six days a week, maintaining over 98% ship rate.
    • “We call it an eight day a week business…because it never stops.” (Jim Kras, 03:30)
    • “If there isn't a product available, it's hard to get a sale and that's every square inch of that space in the store means money to the retailer.” (Jim Kras, 04:16)
• Differentiation: Close proximity to distribution centers allows rapid, dependable delivery, reducing vulnerabilities typical in traditional supply chains.

3. Building Trust & Transparency Through Technology

(05:33–07:46)

• Tech at the Core:
  • “We're really…a technology company, a leader in ag tech…We've got seven patents as a company.” (Jim Kras, 05:40)
  • Patented software enables end-to-end plant and supply chain tracking, ensuring transparency and efficiency.
• Pandemic Resilience: Business tripled during COVID-19 due to reliability and food safety reputation.
• Certifications: Fully USDA Organic and works closely with EPA and USDA for compliance.
  • “We take pride on that transparency and I think that's really helped to separate us.” (Jim Kras, 07:27)
• Sustainability Initiatives: Edible Garden is part of Walmart's Project Gigaton, aiming to reduce the company’s environmental footprint.
  • “We were one of the first companies that were involved in Walmart Project Gigaton…” (Jim Kras, 07:33)

4. The Future of Agriculture & Controlled Environment Farming

(08:24–11:04)

• Impact of Climate Change:
  • “There's no ignoring climate change, there's no ignoring the volatility in the weather…” (Jim Kras, 08:24)
• CEA’s Rising Importance:
  • Offers growers protection from climate risk, water scarcity, pests, and weather events.
  • Responds to consumer demand for “better for you” products with less pesticide exposure.
  • “Controlled environment agriculture is going to be a huge part of how we feed ourselves in the future.” (Jim Kras, 09:16)
• Challenges in Scaling:
  • Energy and heat costs are significant hurdles, but existing technology and solid partnerships help overcome these.
  • “In the future you'll see a continued investment. And I think it's only going to behoove retailers and a lot of the other stakeholders in our food ecosystem to make the investment because it's going to have to happen…” (Jim Kras, 10:24)
• Consumer Demand Driving Change:
  • Higher expectations for quality, safety, and transparency.
  • “The trends are going to force it. And ultimately that's who we cater to, is the person who's buying our herbs or lettuces at the store.” (Jim Kras, 10:48)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the pace of business:
  • “We call it an eight day a week business…because it never stops.” (03:30, Jim Kras)
• On technology-first approach:
  • “We're really…a technology company, a leader in ag tech…We've got seven patents as a company.” (05:40, Jim Kras)
• On transparency:
  • “We take pride on that transparency and I think that's really helped to separate us.” (07:27, Jim Kras)
• On the necessity of CEA:
  • “Controlled environment agriculture is going to be a huge part of how we feed ourselves in the future.” (09:16, Jim Kras)
• On evolving industry expectations:
  • “The trends are going to force it. And ultimately that's who we cater to, is the person who's buying our herbs or lettuces at the store.” (10:48, Jim Kras)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:02 — Jim’s career journey and lessons from advertising
• 02:58 — Problems in traditional agriculture & Edible Garden’s approach
• 05:33 — Technology, traceability, and building trust
• 08:24 — The future of controlled environment agriculture
• 10:24 — Industry investment and evolving consumer expectations

Conclusion

Jim Kras delivers a compelling vision for the future of farming—one rooted in technology, efficiency, and transparency. Edible Garden’s approach, combining controlled environment agriculture and robust tech solutions, sets a new standard for food safety, trust, and reliability in the supply chain. As consumer demand for quality and transparency rises, Edible Garden’s innovations and partnerships position it at the forefront of sustainable, resilient food production.