BY JESSICA PARKS 
 Patrons will only fi nd one ingredient  
 on the menu when visiting  
 the recently-opened storefront  
 in Greenwood Heights  
 — an edible algae called spirulina, 
  which the owners claim to  
 have perfected better than the  
 fl avor many consumers are accustomed  
 to. 
 “It is super nutritious, much  
 more delicious, and also it is extremely  
 sustainable,” said Jonas  
 Guenther, co-owner of We  
 are the New Farmers. “We grow  
 all of the spirulina ourselves.”  
 We are the New Farmers  
 opened  a  storefront  on  Fifth  
 Avenue near 20th Street,  
 where customers can pick up  
 their  orders  of  the  nutrientrich  
 algae grown from their  
 farm  in  the  Brooklyn  Army  
 Terminal  in  Sunset  Park,  
 where they harvest the crop  
 once each week.  
 “I recommend placing an  
 order online for the simple  
 reason that we offer a fresh  
 product, it expires so it is not a  
 shelf-stable thing,” said Guenther. 
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  “And that means we harvest  
 once a week… and people  
 can pick it up the same day or  
 the day after the harvest.”  
 Spirulina is often known  
 for its fi shy, unpleasant fl avor,  
 which is due to it being produced  
 far away in tropical climates  
 in Southeast Asia and  
 then dehydrated into a powder  
 for transport, but the urban  
 farmers found a way to produce  
 it right here in Brooklyn,  
 Guenther said.  
 “If you’ve had it by itself…  
 you will notice it has actually  
 a very nasty and a strong fl avor,” 
  Guenther said. “That is  
 because normally you grow  
 this kind of algae in a very  
 tropical climate in southeast  
 Asia and then you dehydrate  
 it into a powder.”   
 The  technology  they  created  
 for their indoor farm at the  
 Brooklyn  Army  Terminal  allows  
 the algae planters to grow  
 spirulina to be sold fresh to  
 Brooklynites and for delivery to  
 most places across the country. 
 “We’ve developed technology  
 that allows us to grow this  
 not in a tropical climate, but  
 right here in New York City,  
 in Brooklyn,” Guenther said,  
 “that means we don’t need to dehydrate  
 it into a powder but can  
 sell it as a fresh ingredient.”  
 Working  with  fresh  spirulina, 
  We are the New Farmers are  
 able to sell the algae as a paste  
 or in frozen cubes — which are  
 absent of the sour fl avors dehydrating  
 spirulina brings.  
 “It’s more like a paste, almost  
 like a hummus texture, so  
 very smooth and doesn’t have  
 any of the weird fl avors that the  
 powder has,” Guenther said.  
 With their spirulina being  
 We are the New Farmers produce fresh spirulina at the Brooklyn Army  
 Terminal in Sunset Park.  We are the New Farmers 
 neutral in fl avor,  the algae is  
 rich in vitamins and proteins,  
 and therefore Guenther says  
 it can be added to a variety of  
 recipes such as smoothies and  
 dips — and claims NASA is  
 even looking into the algae to  
 be used in their space food.  
 “I  always  like  to  say  it  is  
 one of the greatest ways to  
 start your day,” said Jonas,  
 “because  spirulina  is  incredibly  
 rich in a variety of different  
 nutrients and proteins.”  
 As the superfood has been  
 gaining  popularity  in  the  borough  
 and beyond, the farmers  
 are looking to expand even  
 more  than  their  recent  shop  
 opening and are in the works of  
 building a larger growing facility  
 to keep up with their orders.  
 “We ran out of space because  
 the last couple of months  
 went pretty well for us,” Guenther  
 said,  “so we needed to expand  
 and while we were working  
 on building a much bigger  
 facility we decided to open a  
 second location.” 
 GOING GREEN 
 New Greenwood Heights store sells only  
 one product — locally-produced spirulina 
 Cusimano & Russo Funeral Home 
 SERVING THE COMMUNITY OF BROOKLYN FOR OVER 90 YEARS 
 Committed to Offering   
 Exceptional Quality and Service 
 Affordable Costs and Personalized Attention 
 • Offering No-Contact Virtual Appointments 
 • Ample Parking 
 • Specializing in Advance Funeral Planning 
 • Catered Receptions 
 2005 West 6th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11223 
 718-372-1348  
 www.cusimanoandrussofuneralhome.com 
 This firm is owned by a subsidiary of Service Corp. International, 1929 Allen Pkwy, Houston, TX 77019, 713-522-5141. New York state law mandates that all contracts for  
 prearranged funeral agreements executed by applicants for or recipients of supplemental social security income or medical assistance be irrevocable. 
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