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Publix And Its GreenWise Stores Go After Hydroponics In Big Ways
Publix partnered with St. Petersburg-based Brick Street Farms on the initiative, a good fit because of Brick Street’s focus on quality and sustainability
September 9, 2020
by: Grier Ferguson
Sarasota-Manatee Editor
The Lakeland-Based Grocery Giant Is
Targeting Customers
Who Want Fresh, Local Products
There was a time when hydroponic farming seemed almost futuristic, like flying cars or underwater houses. But not anymore. The future is now for hydroponics.
Hydroponics, which involves growing plants without soil, is becoming more prevalent, including with Lakeland-based grocery giant Publix and the company’s GreenWise Market stores that sell organic, natural, and specialty groceries. Publix operates GreenWise stores in Lakeland, Tallahassee, Boca Raton, Ponte Vedra, and Odessa as well as in Mountain Brook, Ala., and Marietta, Ga. It closed two GreenWise stores in South Carolina in late August, citing the locations’ space constraints, but it plans to open a store in South Florida in the fourth quarter.
Publix and GreenWise are biting into hydroponics in some big ways, hoping it pays off with customers seeking fresh, local products.
Courtesy. Lettuce grown in the hydroponic container farm at Publix’s GreenWise Market in Lakeland is sold in the store.
In one major move, the company installed a 40-foot hydroponic container farm in front of its Lakeland GreenWise store. The container, added at the beginning of March, uses mineral-rich water instead of soil to grow lettuce plants. Publix partnered with St. Petersburg-based Brick Street Farms on the initiative, a good fit because of Brick Street’s focus on quality and sustainability efforts, Publix Business Development Director for Produce and Floral Curt Epperson says.
One key feature of the container is a viewing window on the side that allows people to see the plants growing. Along with showing off the growing process to customers and store employees, GreenWise also wants to use it during educational tours for schoolchildren. The image of the fresh product is key, Epperson says. “You have a good visual of farming at its best inside a container,” he says.
The hydroponic farm is near an outdoor sitting area, encouraging people to mingle and see what it's all about. “There’s certainly been some interest in that,” Epperson says. People are also attracted to the system’s sun-emulating lighting. “It really has an iridescent grow to it,” he says. “It draws you into the container. It’s hard to walk by it and not say, ‘What is that?’”
The lettuce, which takes about five weeks to grow, is harvested right in the container. GreenWise has a grower on site who works with Brick Street and harvests the product three days a week, amounting to about 720 heads of lettuce each week. The same day it’s harvested, the lettuce is taken into the store to be sold. “It really brings a new level of freshness and sustainability to the customer,” Epperson says.
Sustainability can be a key selling point for consumers who are becoming savvier and more knowledgeable about where their food comes from. Because the lettuce from the hydroponic container only has to travel mere feet to end up on store shelves, the product uses fewer resources and has a reduced carbon footprint.
Customers are already responding well. The lettuce grown in the container has done well at the store, Epperson says, and currently, all of it is purchased at that location. Once the lettuce is harvested, more is planted, continuing the cycle.
Other GreenWise stores are getting in on the hydroponic action, too. Brick Street, for instance, is providing lettuce for other locations. Publix has also worked with South Carolina-based Vertical Roots on a mobile hydroponic farm that it brought to stores, giving people the chance to walk inside the farm. The mobile educational tool is on hold during the pandemic, but it’s expected to come back. “It’s really just a cool opportunity to bring the farming concept to the customers,” Epperson says.
Courtesy. Publix worked with South Carolina-based Vertical Roots on a mobile hydroponic farm that it brought to stores, giving people the chance to walk inside.
In another hydroponic effort, Publix has partnered with vertical farming company Kalera to distribute the lettuce it grows hydroponically in Orlando.
Other crops might be involved in the future as well; growers are working on expanding beyond lettuce. “Each of these growers are looking at other ways to grow other commodities,” Epperson says. “I think you’ll see more trials into tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers going forward.”
Epperson says Publix is working with more hydroponic growers, too, in states including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. “Every day, we’re outsourcing product,” he says. “It’s a great way to support communities that are supporting the growers and us. It’s great for the customer, great for the grower, and great for Publix.”
The World's Largest Indoor Farm Is Creating 300 Jobs In Kentucky
The 2.76-million square foot controlled environment agriculture facility is based in Morehead, Eastern Kentucky. A region where unemployment is 44 percent higher than the national average. AppHarvest aims to develop this area into an agricultural technology hub
AppHarvest's new indoor farm in Kentucky is creating jobs and shows an alternative, sustainable form of agriculture and farming.
The world's largest indoor farm just created 300 jobs in Kentucky. | AppHarvest/Instagram
August 21, 2020
High-tech greenhouse developer AppHarvest just opened the world’s largest indoor farm in Kentucky, creating 300 full-time permanent jobs.
The 2.76-million square foot controlled environment agriculture facility is based in Morehead, Eastern Kentucky. A region where unemployment is 44 percent higher than the national average. AppHarvest aims to develop this area into an agricultural technology hub.
“Eastern Kentucky, with its central U.S. location, provides the perfect place to build AppHarvest’s indoor farms,” said Johnathan Webb, the founder, and CEO of AppHarvest. “While also providing much-needed jobs to a ready workforce.”
AppHarvest combines agriculture with cutting edge technology to promote sustainable change within the industry. The new indoor farm drastically reduces the land needed to increase food production. It uses no pesticides and no GMO products.
All water needs are met exclusively by a closed-loop, recycled rainwater system. This also minimizes the water runoff unavoidable with traditional agricultural methods. Overall, AppHarvest’s sustainable greenhouses use 90 percent less water than other farming.
“It’s time for agriculture in America to change,” continued Webb. “The pandemic has demonstrated the need to establish more resilient food systems, and our work is on the forefront of that effort.”
The transportation of fresh produce can have significant carbon emissions.
The Future Of Farming
In addition to job creation, the new farm’s location will also reduce production costs and carbon emissions.
Morehead is less than one day’s drive from 70 percent of the U.S. population. This means a reduction in diesel fuel costs by 80 percent and allows for more competitive pricing against low-cost foreign imports.
AppHarvest recently closed on its $28 million Series C round of fundraising, making a total of over $150 million in just two years. The company has also expanded its board to include investor and author J.D. Vance, Rise of the Rest Seed Fund partner Anna Mason, and AOL co-founder Steve Case.
Impossible Foods CEO and plant-based food proponent David Lee and lifestyle icon and keen vegetable gardener Martha Stewart also sit on the AppHarvest board. Stewart said: “The future of food will be, has to be, growing nutrient-rich and delicious produce closer to where we eat.”
“That means food that tastes better and food that we feel better about consuming,” she added. “AppHarvest is driving us towards that future and working from within Appalachia to elevate the region.”
STAFF WRITER | BRISTOL, UNITED KINGDOM | CONTACTABLE VIA: LIAM@LIVEKINDLY.COM
Liam writes about environmental and social sustainability and the protection of animals. He has a BA Hons in English Literature and Film and also writes for Sustainable Business Magazine. Liam is interested in intersectional politics and DIY music.
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