What this tool does
Combines revenue, COGS, labor, optional CapEx amortization, and monthly overhead into per-cycle and monthly profit.
Compares sales channels (farmers market, supermarket, restaurant, online) with defaults from plant financials when loaded.
Shows ROI months and break-even metrics for the selected channel.
How it works
- Revenue per cycle ≈ units × yield g × (sell-through %) × price per 100 g / 100, with volume-based price and sell-through adjustments.
- Costs per cycle sum seeds, substrate, packaging, nutrients, water, electricity (per-unit DB cost or LED kWh model), labor, misc, plus amortized CapEx unless excluded.
- ROI months = total CapEx ÷ ((revenue − opex) × effective cycles per month); CapEx excluded from monthly profit numerator.
- Break-even price (incl. overhead allocation) = (cost per cycle + overhead per cycle) / saleable grams × 100.
- Internal FX anchors: 1 USD = 36 THB, 1 EUR = 39 THB for conversions in the model.
Assumptions and default values
| Minimum labor wage floor (USD) | $10/h translated via FX table |
|---|---|
| Default channel | Farmers market sell-through defaults per CHANNELS in model |
| Electricity (LED model) | (W÷1000)×h/day×cycle days×€/kWh when enabled |
| Scale presets | Hobby / startup / company adjust units and labor multipliers |
Worked example
Computed with the same functions as the live tool.
Inputs
| Units / cycle | 10 |
|---|---|
| Yield | 100 g/unit |
| Cycle | 10 days |
| Price | €8 / 100 g farmers market |
Outputs
| Profit per cycle | €13.19 |
|---|---|
| ROI months | 12.8 |
| Break-even price/100 g (incl. overhead alloc.) | €6.45 |
Limitations
- Outputs are only as accurate as your inputs and plant DB financials.
- Market adjustment curves model wholesale pressure at volume — not a forecast of your local market.
- Does not include tax, insurance, or rent unless you encode them in overhead fields.
FAQ
Are microgreens profitable?
The calculator shows profit per cycle and ROI months from your costs and price — profitability depends on your channel, yield, and labor. Use your own wage and sell-through, not defaults alone.
How is ROI calculated?
ROI months = total CapEx divided by monthly gross operating margin (revenue minus variable opex per cycle, times effective cycles per month).
What inputs do I need?
Crop (for DB defaults), units per cycle, yield, cycle length, channel, price per 100 g, sell-through, cost lines, labor, and CapEx buckets.
Does it support EUR and USD?
Yes — THB, USD, and EUR with the FX table in profitCalculatorModel.ts.
Where do default costs come from?
Selecting a crop pulls financial JSON from the plants table when available; you can override every field.