Key Takeaways
- Interview explores how Joaquin Gonzalez Chilean ranch upbringing and agricultural engineering background led to a career focused on hydroponic fodder systems.
- Eleusis Feed is targeting drought-prone regions and larger livestock operations with industrial-scale fodder production using significantly less water than conventional systems.
- Gonzalez draws on prior container-based projects and work at FarmBox Foods to address long-standing mold and operational challenges in hydroponic fodder.
- The company’s systems are designed to retrofit existing barns, prioritize robust, low-maintenance hardware, and support feed security for ranchers.
- Expansion efforts are centered on North America, with emerging interest from the Middle East for regenerative and water-efficient livestock feeding solutions.
Background and Early Influences of Joaquin Gonzalez
In this episode of the Vertical Farming Podcast, host Harry Duran speaks with the Chief Expansion Officer at Eleusis Feed about his journey from a family ranch in Chile to leading expansion for an industrial fodder technology provider.
Growing up between Santiago and the family ranch, he spent most weekends around horses and cattle. That early experience, combined with a degree in agricultural engineering, sparked a long-term interest in feed systems and animal nutrition. A lifelong passion for horses also exposed him to the cost, logistics, and health implications of feed, including episodes of colic where fresh fodder proved beneficial for gut health.
Severe drought in northern Chile after his graduation pushed him to search for new ways to produce forage independent of climate. He imported his first hydroponic fodder unit from China, then iterated on containerized designs to improve yields and operations. Mold control proved a recurring challenge, despite rigorous cleaning protocols and experimentation with water treatment and environmental control.
