Student Spotlight: Alexander Ayanian '25

Alexander Ayanian is a marketing and horticulture science student graduating this spring. He will return to campus in the fall for an accelerated master’s program through the Plant and Soil Sciences program at the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, which he anticipates completing by the end of the fall 2025 semester, and he hopes to begin a PhD afterward. Originally from Woburn, MA, he’s also been heavily involved with Isenberg’s Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship, winning funding at this year’s Innovation Challenge for his venture, Supreme Microgreens.

How did you choose Isenberg and UMass Amherst?

I wanted to enroll in business school, and Isenberg offered the most comprehensive education for the most affordable tuition.

How did you choose to combine a major in Isenberg with a major in Stockbridge?

When I first enrolled at UMass, I was only a marketing major and took a soils class with a few friends from Stockbridge to fulfill an elective requirement. By the end of that class I was enamored with the program and wanted to learn all I could about plants and agriculture. At first, I was going to declare a minor, but when I learned how compatible the two degrees were, I decided to enroll as a dual degree student.

What have been your favorite classes and experiences at Isenberg?

My favorite Isenberg classes have been Consumer Experience Management, Consumer Behavior and Business Communications, all classes that allowed me to gain a better understanding of how to best manage a business and foster and support a customer base. As a small business owner, the experiences I've gained while enrolled at Isenberg have been invaluable to my current career, preparing me to excel at face-to-face sales and communications.

You recently took part in Berthiaume’s Innovation Challenge with your venture Supreme Microgreens and won $1,000. Tell me more about Supreme Microgreens: how would you describe it to someone who doesn’t know anything about it, and what makes it unique?

Supreme Microgreens is an agricultural start-up based in Amherst, MA. Our mission is to provide our Pioneer Valley community with fresh, nutrient-rich microgreens, supplements, beverages, and more! The average journey of food in the U.S. is typically 1500 miles from the place where the food is grown to where it is sold, a process often taking over two weeks. At Supreme Microgreens, we offer the freshest produce possible, using vertical farming and hydroponics to ensure that our produce is sold on the same day it's been harvested.

Where do you see this venture going next? Do you know what you’d like to do with the funding you won from the Innovation Challenge?

The first batch of Supreme Microgreens was grown in a dorm room on campus and quickly evolved into a multi-facility growing operation that provides produce to markets across the Pioneer Valley. Supreme Microgreens is constantly evolving. We work around the clock to improve our product quality and to create new ways to eat healthily. This summer, we will be launching several new product lines, including health tinctures and frozen superfood dinners, while expanding B2B relationships to increase the number of places our products can be offered. With the funding we won from the Innovation Challenge, we’ll be able to build and maintain an additional hydroponic microgreen system, increasing our ability to grow produce for greater numbers of customers and markets.

What is your ultimate vision or goal(s) for Supreme Microgreens?

Supreme Microgreens hopes to expand to become a fully vertically integrated farm-to-table enterprise that will create and sell healthy and sustainable food products across the country, using only produce grown in house.

Other than Supreme Microgreens, do you participate in any other clubs and extracurriculars?

I am the instructor for the UMass Hydroponics Farm course through Stockbridge, a program designed to teach students from all backgrounds and disciplines the ins and outs of hydroponic agriculture and its importance in food production and business potential.

Have you had any jobs or internships during college in addition to your work on Supreme Microgreens?

I have been a conductor on two research projects on campus during my undergraduate degrees. I worked on agrivoltaics in Deerfield (growing plants under solar panels), and helped manage the UMass pollinator gardens at the Agricultural Learning Center.

What are you planning after graduation? Do you plan to focus full-time on Supreme Microgreens, or pursue other opportunities as well?

I will be enrolled as a master’s student through the Plant & Soil Sciences program at UMass in the fall and plan to complete my degree by Christmas. Afterwards, I hope to begin a PhD. In addition to my studies, I will also be working full time for Supreme Microgreens, supporting and instructing at the UMass Hydroponics Farm, and pioneering a program at UMass in mycology, the scientific study of fungi. I am also designing specialty hydroponic systems to be incorporated into a major hotel chain in Boston.

If you could go back and give your first-year self some advice, what would you tell them?

I would likely advise myself to join Stockbridge and declare my dual degree earlier (I joined after my second year at UMass), and to pursue any and all opportunities that I could while in college.