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Success Story: Fork Farms Putting Down Roots In Wisconsin
Fork Farms was founded in 2010 as an independent contractor building rooftop and indoor gardens for schools and food programs in New York. In 2014, Fork Farms moved back to Wisconsin (the home state of co-founder and president Alex Tyink) and the first Flex Farm prototype was built out of wood in a garage
By: Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
July 28, 2021
Products: Flex Farms are fully self-contained vertical hydroponic systems with 288 unique growing spaces. The company’s patented technology takes indoor vertical hydroponic growing to a new level by maximizing growth and minimizing required inputs. Flex Farms grow food faster, in less space with less water and electricity. They are portable and only require a standard electrical outlet and less than 10 square feet of space. By carefully controlling everything plants need to thrive, each Flex Farm can grow more than 394 pounds of produce annually. The Flex Farm Grow Supplies Box Subscription program delivers all the supplies a customer needs to grow every three months right to their door.
Company founded: Fork Farms was founded in 2010 as an independent contractor building rooftop and indoor gardens for schools and food programs in New York. In 2014, Fork Farms moved back to Wisconsin (the home state of co-founder and president Alex Tyink) and the first Flex Farm prototype was built out of wood in a garage.
Location: In 2020, Fork Farms moved its headquarters to TitletownTech in Green Bay. TitletownTech is a partnership between the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft that builds and funds early-stage high-growth businesses. Fork Farms believes TitletownTech is an incredibly innovative model that significantly bolsters the local startup economy. The depth of support is unprecedented and will provide Fork Farm’s significant acceleration and lift to the organization’s mission of unleashing the power of fresh food production.
Employees: 15
Backstory: A decade ago, a simple bag of lettuce grown on a rooftop in Brooklyn, New York, ignited a chain of events that would lead to the cognizance of the true power of “good food” and its ability to bring about happier, healthier people through the power of fresh food production. Fork Farms has since blossomed from an independent contractor building rooftop gardens to a garage-based Flex Farm prototype made out of wood, and most recently into partnerships with the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft. With over 600 Flex Farm installations completed in 29 states, Israel and Canada, Fork Farms is poised to continue its passionate endeavor towards real and sustainable change.
Wisconsin’s business environment: “Wisconsin’s business environment has helped Fork Farms grow significantly,” says Tyink. “We outsource a significant amount of our overhead to Wisconsin businesses to allow us to rapidly respond to our expansion needs. Our Wisconsin fulfillment partners have the ability to scale their operations to meet the increase in demand for our products. Our relationship with these partners also allows us to explore how we can scale our consumable products to provide more affordable solutions breaking down barriers to entry into vertical hydroponic growing. In the next year, we will be making significant investments in content that deepens and enriches the experience with indoor vertical hydroponic growing.”
These Peach Salsa Brands Sold in 8 States Are Being Recalled
Three brands of peach salsa may be contaminated with Salmonella, the FDA warns. The packages of peach salsa that could be tainted with Salmonella were delivered to retail stores in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Three brands of peach salsa may be contaminated with Salmonella, the FDA warns.
Peaches are technically still in season until late September, however, you may want to refrain from picking up any containers of fresh peach salsa at the grocery store—that is, if you live in a certain eight states.
The FDA recently announced that Russ Davis Wholesale (RDW) is recalling Peach Salsa sold under the following three brands: Crazy Fresh Perfectly Peach Salsa, Quick & Easy Perfectly Peach Salsa, and Clear Label Perfectly Peach Salsa. The salsa has reportedly been contaminated with Salmonella, which, according to the CDC, can cause diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps, among other symptoms.
The recall comes in response to Wawona Packaging, which informed RDW on August 22 that the peaches used to make the salsas could have been contaminated with the foodborne pathogen. The affected products include any packages of Crazy Fresh Perfectly Peach Salsa with a sell by date of 6/25/2020 to 8/26/2020; Quick & Easy Perfectly Peach Salsa with sell by date of 7/29/2020 to 8/26/2020; and Clear Label Perfectly Peach Salsa with sell by date of 7/30/2020 to 8/23/2020. (Related: 7 Secret Tricks for Extending Food Expiration Dates)
The packages of peach salsa that could be tainted with Salmonella were delivered to retail stores in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. There are a few other miscellaneous containers of peach salsa that could cause foodborne illness, including ones that were offered at the deli counter at several grocery stores in Ortonville and Cross Lake in Minnesota, as well as in Tipton, Iowa.
In addition, five Bountiful Fresh gift baskets are suspected to have included the contaminated peaches, which were sold through one location in Hastings, Minnesota. If you've purchased any of the following items in the past several days, be sure to throw it out immediately. So far, there haven't been any reported cases of foodborne illness from these peaches, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take precaution!
For more, check out These Are the Most Often Recalled Foods in America.
Article by: Cheyenne Buckingham | August 26, 2020
Creating A Business Based on Hydroponics And Agricultural Technology
Fork Farms is a leader in hydroponics and agricultural technology-based here in the Fox Cities. Listen to Alex Tynik, founder and president explain how they have developed the products and organization needed to enable individuals and organizations to produce low cost, high-quality food
June 14, 2020
PLAY EPISODE
Featured Guest:
Alex Tyink, Fork Farms
101 W Edison Ave
Suite 224
Appleton, WI 54915
Email: info@forkfarms.com
Direct: 920.515.0730
Toll-Free: 877.886.7736
BizTalk Air Date: June 6, 2020
Fork Farms is a leader in hydroponics and agricultural technology-based here in the Fox Cities. Listen to Alex Tynik, founder and president explain how they have developed the products and organization needed to enable individuals and organizations to produce low cost, high-quality food.
Fork Farms has built a national and international reputation in just five years and theirs is a story that will inspire others thinking about creating a social enterprise balancing business results and improving society.
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