We've heard a lot of interpretive pronunciations of Plovgh in recent months: “plov-gah”, “ploe”, “plahv”. Our favorite questions so far have been: Does the “L-O-V” stand for “love”? And, is Plovgh Russian for…(we’re not sure what)?
Nope, none of the above. In fact, the spelling was originally a function of the great URL conundrum that many startups face (see Svpply and Svbtle for prime examples). But the concept behind the name is a bit more meaningful than that.
Plovgh, which is pronounced "plow", refers to a tool, an innovation that fueled a technological revolution in farming in the ancient world. We aim to apply technology in a way that has an equally transformative effect for the current and future generation of farmers, not on their production but on the economics of their markets. By eliminating the middleman, Plovgh producers and customers can both do better.
For the non-agrarians among you, the plough is an agricultural tool that is thought to have emerged in the 6th millennium B.C. when people began using draft animal power. It was not until 1837 that the first steel plough was introduced by a blacksmith and manufacturer named John Deere. Its arrow-shaped head is used to this day to cultivate the soil in preparation for sowing seeds or planting. Thus, the "v" in our name reflects the shape of the tool itself and calls on a rich history of humans working the land and forging new ground.
Last but not least, the plough had an impact on agriculture around the world, over the course of millennia. That it is also a constellation and a yoga pose speaks to its universality, cultural significance, and enduring quality. Our hope is that Plovgh too reaches hundreds of millions of farmers globally and has wide-reaching effect in reinventing markets for producers and people.
So, for historical, technical, and pragmatic reasons, we are Plovgh.