Joining TechBrew Robotics

Hello Everyone!

As many of you may already be aware, I assumed the role of Interim CEO at TechBrew Robotics back in April. This transition occurred as our founder, Mike Boudreau, decided to step back from the workload and share the many hats he was wearing, and asked that I join the team.

Stepping into the shoes of someone as formidable as Mike was no small task, but it has been an exhilarating adventure. What made this transition possible was the incredible team at TechBrew. One of Mike's superpowers is his ability to find and bring together some of the most gifted individuals from around the world. These talented minds have rallied behind our mission of building a globally leading robotics company and made the job of being the CEO a heck of a lot easier.

After several months as the interim-CEO, Mike and the board presented me with a compelling proposal—to continue as the permanent CEO. Today, I am delighted to announce that I have accepted the position of CEO at TechBrew Robotics. And as an unexpected bonus, I now know far more than I ever expected about the fascinating world of mushrooms!

TechBrew Robotics stands at the forefront of addressing the most critical challenge in the mushroom industry – the intensive labour required to harvest mushrooms. Mushrooms thrive in dark, cold, and humid environments, astonishingly doubling in size every 24 hours. Their delicate nature, even more fragile than tomatoes, poses a formidable challenge for automation when it comes to tasks such as picking, trimming, and packing. There’s a deep graveyard of companies that have attempted to tackle this issue, but our team has successfully cracked the code for delicately harvesting mushrooms quickly, without causing any damage. These crops are predominantly cultivated by some of the most innovative farmers globally, overseeing extensive enterprise operations that necessitate robust logistics systems to manage growth, harvesting, and distribution of this highly perishable product.

I firmly believe in the future of automation, particularly in the agricultural sector. The mushroom industry is in urgent need of automated solutions, given the persistent labor shortages that continue to hinder its operations. We are dedicated to providing this much-needed solution.

One of my key roles as CEO is to attract great talent, and I am thrilled to introduce a familiar face joining me on this journey— Chris Payne, my former colleague at Grow Technologies. Chris and his wife, Giovanna Payne, have relocated to Salmon Arm for him to join me as the CFOO (Chief Financial and Operating Officer) at TechBrew Robotics. Together, Chris and I are joining forces with an exceptional team of approximately 30 employees (and growing), each possessing remarkable expertise in mechatronics, software development, AI, computer vision, and logistics.

With this extraordinary team, we are poised to revolutionize the mushroom farming industry by addressing its labor challenges and ushering in a new era of automation. We’re also looking for more great people that want to join us, particularly those with a software, AI, mechanical & controls background.

Our first commercially-ready robots are set to go live on a mushroom farm by the end of this year, following several successful pilot projects on farms over the past couple of years. Additionally, we have approximately 4-5 other farms actively exploring incorporating our robotics technology into their operations in 2024.

I can't wait to share more exciting updates with you in the coming months. Stay tuned for an extraordinary journey ahead as we embark on this captivating fungus revolution at TechBrew Robotics!

Most importantly - we’re looking for more great people to come join our team. If you know anyone in AI, software, mechatronics, controls, or mechanical that wants to come help build a global leader in the robotics space, please send them my way!