The Innovators: John Lamppa

John Lamppa Th’12

What career path led to Real Green?

After I earned my PhD in protein engineering at Thayer, I expected to work in biopharmaceuticals, but a Harvard startup in the food-tech space caught my eye. I joined as a scientist and eventually became the chief technology officer of that company, now known as Foodberry. From there I launched a consulting business focused on food and beverage clients, while in parallel creating Lamppa Farms, which partners with academic and research institutions to pilot and scale novel crops. These experiences ultimately led to the creation of Real Green Foods and bringing fresh, nutritionally rich ingredients, such as microgreens, to everyday food and beverage products.
 

Why microgreens?

I just love eating them. I love that they're more nutritionally dense than a lot of lettuce or other leafy greens out there. I thought, "Hey, it'd be great if microgreens were more readily available beyond just the clamshell at the grocery store, in everyday products such as soups, salad dressings, and beverages." We partnered early with Butterfly Bakery owner Claire Georges to refine, blend, and bottle our dressings. Claire really brought these to life and even had some excellent flavor suggestions, such as the ginger turmeric.

What makes your product line unique?

Real Green's dressings are the healthiest you can buy. All dressings contain fresh, organic microgreens, which give them a powerful nutritional boost. The microgreens also add flavor and body while keeping fats, sugar, salt, and calories low. Flavors range from my favorite, maple mustard, made with maple syrup from Nott Family Farm in Hartford, Vt., to seriously spicy serrano lime and a new Green Goddess that, like all our dressings, is vegan and free from the eight major food allergens. From here the Real Green brand will continue to launch new products powered by fresh microgreens.

This article appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of the Dartmouth Engineer magazine.