An engineer who reframed the humble garden bed as a 20-year asset.
Vego Garden makes modular raised beds from galvanised steel with a patented zinc-magnesium-aluminium coating designed to last over 20 years, addressing the rot of wooden beds and the cracking of plastic ones. Beds stand 17 inches tall for back-friendly gardening and snap together in many configurations. The line has expanded into self-watering systems, elevated beds and composters.
Robert Xiong, an engineer in Texas, returned to gardening in 2020 and found the tools had not changed in decades. Starting from a single modular bed design and a lean team, he leaned on a strong direct-to-consumer brand and an engaged gardening community while riding the pandemic gardening boom. Within about six years the company passed 100 employees, opened a 200,000-square-foot headquarters, and landed on shelves at Costco, Home Depot, Lowe's and Amazon. Estimated annual revenue exceeds $10M with a reported valuation around $120M.
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