Vertical Hydroponic Farm Takes Root At Worcester’s Webster Square

By Cyrus Moulton  |  Telegram & Gazette Staff 

Posted Apr 21, 2018

WORCESTER - With a Burger King next door and surrounded by the asphalt of Webster Square, it doesn’t look like the most bucolic setting. But within the brick building at 1158 Main St., a 3,500-square-foot farm is producing 300 to 500 pounds of food a week for local restaurants as well as providing work opportunities for adults with intellectual disabilities.

“We grow food, create jobs, impact our community, impact the environment and improve the resiliency of Worcester,” said Howard Lucas, director of workforce development and strategic marketing at My Choice Greens.

“And it tastes really freaking great,” interjected John Piselli, director of employment training.

My Choice Greens, a social initiative of the nonprofit My Choice Programs (formerly known as Independent Living for Adults with Special Needs), is a commercial, indoor, vertical hydroponic farm. The farm, which cost about $600,000 to construct, produces greens, herbs such as rosemary, sage and basil, and specialty lettuces such as mini romaines, arugula, and kale. It is believed to be the only farm of its kind in Worcester and uses special, full-spectrum LED lights imported to the United States for the first time for this project, Mr. Piselli said. It planted its first seeds in January and has a seed-to-harvest time of about eight weeks.

The farm looks a little like a futuristic living library, with 8-foot-high “stacks” containing 4,000 plants replacing stacks of books. Swiss chard clings to the towers of growing medium, a soil and coca fiber mix, like a line of spiders climbing up a column. Delicate pink flowers reach out from a wall of herbs cascading down to the floor. The room smells of water and fertilizer, as a complex drip irrigation system provides the plants with the nutrients necessary to thrive. All is bathed in a pink light for 16 to 18 hours a day.

The lighting and 325-gallon, closed-loop drip irrigation system allows workers to control all the variables in the growing process. There are no pesticides used, and the produce, although not organic certified, is described as “beyond organic” by its caretakers - born of organic seeds and nurtured with organic fertilizers and growing media.

Project participants view the room as representing the future of farming.

“There will always be a need for dirt farmers,” said Alain Beret, CEO of My Choice Programs. “But I believe hydroponic farms throughout each US city will be the norm in the next century.”

Mr. Beret, Mr. Piselli, and Mr. Lucas touted the benefits of a network of local urban hydroponic farms. The farms can connect directly with urban consumers, eliminating middlemen that jack up the price of food. The food is fresher, as it doesn’t have to be shipped as far. Indeed, most of the My Choice Greens buyers are within an hour’s drive, said production manager Kay Kohls. Fresh produce is available year-round no matter the climate, and hydroponic farms can grow produce in one third less time and using 80 to 90 percent less water than traditional farming, Mr. Lucas said. The farm is so controlled that it can “grow on demand,” working with local restaurants to meet their needs for seasonal menus.

“What we grow is what our customers want,” said Mr. Kohls.

And such farms could provide food for a lot of customers.

“The story really is, Can Worcester feed itself?” Mr. Lucas said. “Our answer is yes.”

But the farm produces more than just greens. It also produces jobs.

“I’m learning a lot of hydroponics skills and what it takes to operate them and what I would need to grow them,” said team member Zack Bucinskas, 20. “I like the constant learning experience.”

And since the field of hydroponic vertical farming is relatively new (although hydroponic farming goes back centuries) there’s hope that the individuals at My Choice Greens can be the leaders of the burgeoning industry.

“The ultimate goal is not to just provide jobs but create entrepreneurs who can own the business and spin them off to create independent businesses,” said Mr. Beret.

Already, some members of “the team” are thinking about a farming future.

Tobias Aharonian, 27, who said he had never had any farming experience before, sees farming in his future.

“I can see me working in a facility like this in the long run — either owning one or training people,” Mr. Aharonian said.

But perhaps most importantly to the farmers — and their clients — the produce is good.

Mr. Piselli proudly noted that his Swiss chard passed “the snap test,” in that it audibly snapped when you broke the stem, as well as the taste test.

“It’s not as tart or bitter,” Mr. Piselli said, comparing it with mixed greens readily available at grocery stores.

It’s a taste that area chefs have noticed.

“We tried their product and it’s really good,” said Aurelio Metohu, owner of Caffe Espresso Trattoria on Chandler Street and the new Casta Diva in Northboro, who uses the greens in salads.

The social mission is on the minds of restaurateurs as well.

“I’m doing two great things,” said Mike Wenc, executive chef at Simjang on Shrewsbury Street, which features a lemon balm ice cream sourced from My Choice Greens. “I’m getting great product and also helping out disadvantaged people.”