Mecklenburg, NY (WENY) -- A new crop is soon springing up in the Finger Lakes. A regional partnership has come together to grow chickpeas in Schuyler County. The partnership involves an Ithaca start-up named Antithesis, Ithaca Hummus, and the Schuyler County Partnership for Economic Development.        

It was a Schuyler County farmer who ended up taking on the challenge of growing the legume that primarily grows in drier climates like Arizona. The farmer can now take the credit of being the first to chickpeas where it was previously thought they wouldn’t grow.

With the first batch of chickpeas (also known as garbanzos) harvested the partnership is looking to the future to try and find ways of keeping the cash crop here.  It was determined that three different varietals would be planted at Taber Hill Farms in Mecklenburg.

The idea grew after Antithesis Foods presented in front of Judy McKinney-Cherry, the Executive Director of the economic development partnership. During the presentation, she asked a pointed question surrounding their logistics in getting one of their main supplies.

Ashton Yoon, a Co-Founder, and the Companies COO said, “We had a meeting with Judy and I think we were presenting, I think just some slides on our supply chain and she made a comment about why are you getting your chickpeas from Arizona.”

The answer to that question from McKinney-Cherry was that they weren't being grown here. But the start-up and their Cornell alumni founders were resilient. McKinney-Cherry also wanted to solve the pressing need of a local business having to go across the country to get their supplies.

McKinney-Cherry said, “There was a business need. I uncovered it, just in an early conversation and thought ‘boy we need to solve this problem’’’

Through the economic development partnership, Carl Taber, a farmer and the owner of Taber Hill Farms, was found. Taber decided to give it a try. Taber set several acres aside just to see if the chickpeas would grow.

Taber said, “One of the things that interest me is they can be grown pretty much (with) conventional equipment that we already have.”

Antithesis’ Co-Founder and CEO Jason Goodman said, “The answer was will they grow in this climate and the answer was yes. So now it's like how we can make them grow better.”

The first planted batch produced enough to be able to be tested. Tests will be run on the first harvest, to check for several factors including protein levels among other things. But Taber says the crop is here to stay.

Taber said, “I don't know if it's ever going to occupy a significant part of our acreage, but I think it's a crop you're going to see in the mix.”

The idea to grow the multiuse legume comes at a great time. According to the USDA demand for chickpeas and other legumes products like hummus is growing. In the late ‘90s, legume product sales were less than $10 million. In recent years, according to the USDA, sales have been over $700 million. Growing chickpeas in the Finger Lakes could potentially create another money-making crop in the wine region. But wine grapes will always be the number one focus.

McKinney-Cherry said, “Introducing a new crop, I think just has a huge huge benefit in the years to come.”

The second crop of chickpeas is already in the ground. The partnership is taking a slightly different approach this year. Instead, they’re planting the chickpeas earlier in the season, to in theory harvest them earlier in the year.