In a shop lot nestled within a commercial area in Seksyen U5, Shah Alam, co-founder Jay Desan greets us in a lab coat and hair net. We are here to tour one of BoomGrow’s urban farms.
Stepping inside the facility, we find LED lights bathing neat rows of leafy greens. The temperature is cool, the air clean, and every stage of the growing process — from seeding to harvest — is tracked and controlled.
“We’re not just growing vegetables,” Desan says. “We’re growing a better way forward — one that’s smarter, cleaner, and more sustainable.”
In an age where climate change, urbanisation, and food insecurity cast long shadows, BoomGrow is offering a radical rethink of how greens are grown.
Founded in 2019 after five years of research and development, the Malaysian precision farming company leads a new wave of agriculture in Southeast Asia — using AI-powered hydroponic systems, modular farms, and a data-driven ethos to deliver high-quality, pesticide-free greens year-round.
Where Technology Meets Taste
Jay Desan, Co-founder of BoomGrow.
BoomGrow grows its greens entirely indoors, nurturing them under carefully calibrated light spectrums and filtered water. Its proprietary farm operating system measures and optimises every factor—from humidity to nutrient levels—to deliver flavour, nutrition, and consistency in every harvest.
“BoomGrow started as a series of research questions,” Desan recalls. “How can we eat better? Why is healthy food so expensive? What if we could grow cleaner, tastier greens closer to where people live?”
Those questions turned into action. At the time, Desan was working in ESG advisory. Her co-founders brought diverse expertise: Murali Krishnamurthy, with a finance and consulting background, and Shan Palani, an architect who helped design the physical systems. Together, they created a proof of concept — a working hydroponic farm housed in a shipping container.
“It was all trial and error in the beginning,” Desan admits. “But once we had a functioning system, we knew we were on to something.”
Machine Farm Breakthrough
BoomGrow’s leafy greens are nurtured in a controlled environment.
The breakthrough came six years ago when Telekom Malaysia invited the company to participate in a 5G tech showcase in Langkawi. They brought the container farm with them. The event served greens grown on-site — even to The Westin Langkawi’s Executive Chef, who first viewed hydroponics with scepticism.
“He didn’t think vegetables grown this way could taste as good as conventional ones,” Desan says. “But once he tried them, he was blown away.” Soon after, the container farm was permanently relocated to the resort, becoming BoomGrow’s first commercial farm.
“It’s truly farm-to-table. Fresh, consistent, and with minimal waste. We eliminate long supply chains and the spoilage that comes with them.” — JAY DESAN
Since then, the company has scaled rapidly — supported by an early grant from SMECorp, and later by funding from Khazanah’s Dana Impak. BoomGrow now operates 15 farms across Malaysia and the region. It includes Langkawi, Penang, Klang Valley, Johor, as well as international sites in the Philippines and Indonesia.
Their core innovation is the Machine Farm — a stackable, mobile, and modular system that can grow over 100 varieties of leafy greens and microgreens, using 95% less land than traditional agriculture, all without pesticides.
“The beauty of controlled-environment farming is resilience,” Desan explains. “We’re not affected by floods, droughts, or unpredictable weather. That consistency is key to food security.”
Closing The Loop
Precision farming technology enables the right balance of freshness.
BoomGrow’s operations are primarily B2B, serving a growing list of hotels, restaurants, and hospitality clients with fresh, locally grown greens harvested and delivered on the same day.
“It’s truly farm-to-table,” Desan says. “Fresh, consistent, and with minimal waste. We eliminate long supply chains and the spoilage that comes with them.”
BoomGrow’s hyper-local approach — building farms within a 10km radius of customers — not only reduces emissions but strengthens community ties. A small B2C segment remains, with loyal customers who value clean, pesticide-free produce, but the company’s focus is on scaling B2B capabilities.
“We’ve always prioritised quality and consistency over sheer scale,” Desan says. “We want to grow smarter — not just bigger.”
Smart Farming, Smarter Cities
BoomGrow is sowing the seeds of a new food system for Southeast Asia’s cities.
At the core of BoomGrow’s vision is technology — from its proprietary farm operating system to AI and IoT sensors that monitor real-time data across all farms. Machine learning models help fine-tune watering cycles, lighting, and nutrients, optimising every aspect of plant growth.
“Agriculture has been around since the dawn of time. For us, the question is: how do we use data to grow smarter?” Their latest innovation, the Tower Farm, is their largest vertical module yet — a sign of what’s possible with space-efficient, tech-enabled systems in urban environments.
Leveraging data and technology, BoomGrow delivers consistent yield and quality all-year round.
Still, Desan emphasises that BoomGrow does not aim to replace traditional farming. “We want to coexist with conventional farms,” she says. “As Southeast Asia urbanises, cities will need resilient systems that can grow food close to home. That’s where we fit in.”
BoomGrow grew from a converted office setup into leading-edge vertical farms across the region, charting a journey of innovation grounded in purpose. With a clear mission and growing momentum, the company is eyeing further expansion across the region — where urbanisation is rising, and access to nutritious, sustainable food is increasingly urgent.
“The future of food isn’t just about yield,” stresses Desan. “It’s about nutrition, sustainability, and access. And we believe we can help make that future a reality.”
(Photos: Lily Allissa )
