A beautiful addition to our previous urban farming spottings, Herbi is a fully adjustable hydroponic herb rack that lets urban farmers grow their favourite herbs on their kitchen counter.

Up to six plant 'silos' can be connected to a central control unit, which has water and nutrient containers and takes care of the plants. Fill the containers, and Herbi operates for a full month without any tending to. Every month, when nutrients or water are running low, Herbi communicates its needs by lighting a light blue LED behind the corresponding icon on the Herbi control unit.

Designed by Michael Kritzer for plusminuszero, the Japanese manufacturer of minimalist household goods, Herbi is characterized by simplicity and clean lines. The appliance's shape and functionality were inspired by old wheat and grain silos that are spread throughout the rural plains of America. Herbi is currently only available through plusminuszero.

Website: http://www.plusminuszero.jp and http://michaelkritzer.com

As its tagline says, a small South African manufacturer of upmarket cookies and brownies is "creating opportunity, one bite at a time."

Khayelitsha is one of South Africa's largest townships, located on the outskirts of Capetown. Its inhabitants are locked in a constant struggle against poverty, unemployment and violence. Two years ago, Alicia Polak, a former investment banker, founded The Khayelitsha Cookie Company (KCC). Ms Polak wanted to offer more than monetary aid, and decided to help the township's women build a sustainable living. She chose cookies because they're a simple product, and baking is a skill that's easy to teach.

KCC now employs 11 women who were formerly unemployed. Since joining KCC, they've been trained in baking, packing, labelling and customer service. To ensure the company's longevity, great emphasis is placed on quality and production standards. The brand's upscale cookies and brownies are sold to South African hotels, restaurants and coffee houses. The Khayelitsha Cookie Company expects to break even soon, and Ms Polak hopes to make her employees part-owners in the business.

Great example of using entrepreneurial skills to help alleviate poverty and unemployment in a sustainable manner, and one that would work well in many parts of the world. Ms Polak is actually considering bringing the cookie concept to disadvantaged parts of the United States. Care to lend her a hand?

Website: http://www.khayelitshacookies.com
Contact: alicia@khayelitshacookies.co.za

In Turkey, online music store MuziPlay has forged itself a larger market by selling prepaid music cards.

Much like prepaid telephone cards, 'MuziKarts' are available from newspaper stands and small shops. After activating a code on the card, customers can download and play mp3s using the company's proprietary MuziPlayer. Cards are available in denominations of YTL 3, 5 and 10 (EUR 1.50, 2.50, 5.00/USD 1.95, 3.25, 6.50).

Sounds like a winner for countries where the growth of broadband internet is outpacing adoption of credit cards. The sachet marketing approach to selling songs should also appeal to children. Although Apple sells prepaid iTunes Music Store gift cards through Target stores in the US and a select number of retailers worldwide, distribution through convenience stores and newsstands makes more sense for modestly priced cards. One to copy and fast-forward to other markets?

Related concepts: prepaid privacy and prepaid computing.

Website: http://www.muziplay.com
Contact: info@muzi.com.tr

While suburban households across the country are welcoming fix-and-freeze dinners to their tables, an urban version of the concept just opened at 63rd and Third in New York.

Since New York real estate prices don't allow for huge communal kitchens, Really Cool Foods has altered the prep kitchen model into 'component cooking'. Customers select a recipe, grab the colour-coded components (vegetables, meats, sauces, etc), and get cooking. "Prepped in our kitchen, cooked in yours." In 20 minutes or less.

Ingredients are organic, and there's a wide variety of recipes. Besides component cooking, Really Cool Foods also stocks a selection of high-end groceries, including organic pet food. A Small Bites section offers freshly made, all-natural baby food. And, this is the Upper East Side, after all -- Really Cool Foods also delivers Hamptons Hampers to New Yorkers' homes or straight to the Jitney. A tour of the store can be viewed on Code.TV.
There are very few services, even relatively new ones, that can't be upgraded, or in this case, Upper East Sided. Something to keep in mind when you have plans to introduce this concept to the rest of the world?

Website: http://www.reallycoolfoods.com

Offering "intelligent supercar ownership," écurie25 is a club that gives members the right to drive fine automobiles for 30-40 days per year.

Like NetJets does for private jets, écurie25 takes care of the costs and trouble associated with outright ownership; members don't have to worry about depreciation, insurance and servicing.

Customers can buy either 300 (GBP 4.500) or 600 (GBP 7.950) points per year, which they can trade in for their choice of cars. The 'supercars' are divided into three categories: F1, F2 and F3. F2 cars include the Porsche Boxster S and the TVR Sagaris. Taking one of these out for a spin on a weekday in October costs 8 points. A three-day weekend in August goes for 85 points. F1 cars include the Aston Martin Vantage and DB9, Bentley Continental and Ferrari F430 Spider. And for the acceleration of a lifetime, the most inexpensive F3 class includes British-built speed demon Ariel Atom.

As described in James Twitchell's Living It Up, people aren't shopping for goods as much as they are for an identity. So it makes complete sense that some consumers are trading ownership for partial ownership, and the greater freedom and choice that it brings. (Can't choose between a Vantage and a Spider? Have both! ;-)

Read more about the luxury market in trendwatching.com's briefings on massclusivity and uber-premium. And for a related automobile club idea, check out Five star hotel for cars.

Website: http://www.ecurie25.co.uk
Contact: enquiries@ecurie25.co.uk