Sweet Water Organics is raising fish and vegetables in Milwaukee, WI
Located in Bayview at 2151 S. Robinson Ave, Milwaukee, WI Google Map, Sweet Water Organics is the first major commercial upgrading of MacArthur genius Will Allen’s aquaculture methodologies, i.e. a three-tiered, aquaponic, bio-intensive fish-vegetable garden. Sweet Water is the anchor project in the transformation of a massive industrial building in an “industrial slum” into a show-case of the potential of living technologies and high-value added urban agriculture. Sweet Water’s sustainable aquaculture system harvests urban waste streams, e.g. wood chips, cardboard, veggie residues, coffee grounds, and brewers mash, along vermiculture lines, yielding the richest possible soil. This soil in hundreds of potted plants on the simulated wetland tiers is key to the transformation of fish wastes into natural nitrate for plant growth and water filtration. The fish nourish the plants. The plants clean the water, and, in the case of tilapia, feed the fish!
Sweet Water hopes to derive income from the sale of: fish; micro greens and cereal grains, including wheat grass; worms; worm castings; and compost. Other income streams will include tours, events, training, and installation of aquaculture systems.
We hope to inspire non-profit “guild schools,” which will bring together urban artists, artisans, and agrarians to advance knowledge from each field in support of the good food (r)evolution.