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Armela Brings Fresh Perspective To Farming In UAE
Armela Farms, an expert in hydroponic farming and the largest producer of water-grown lettuce in the UAE, now has a production capacity of 1.6 million lettuce heads – the equivalent of 330 tonnes per year
March 15, 2020
ABU DHABI
Armela Farms, an expert in hydroponic farming and the largest producer of water-grown lettuce in the UAE, now has a production capacity of 1.6 million lettuce heads – the equivalent of 330 tonnes per year.
As an innovator in the large-scale commercial production, packing and distribution of lettuce and kale, Armela Farms utilizes cutting-edge hydroponic growing technology, on-site storage, packing, and local distribution methods to redefine local food supply, the company said.
By producing natural, eco-friendly, locally grown, farm-fresh, 100% pesticide-free products, Armela Farms continuously reaffirms its commitment to feeding people in cities in a way that is positive for the environment.
The UAE is globally renowned for blending the core values of its agricultural history with the latest innovations and technologies. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment has prioritized increasing the use of hydroponic farms, cooling and climate control technologies to overcome the historical problems of scarcity of water resources and arable land, soil salinity, difficult environmental conditions, and typically high production costs. Consequently, Armela Farms is striving to perfect the process and become the industry standard in UAE, it said.
After launching the company in August 2016, the Armela team has spent more than two years in Research and Development regarding the best techniques, varieties of produce and optimum climate conditions, before celebrating its first harvest in August 2018. Since then, the team has advanced its process to achieve over 250% of an increase in production and is currently finalizing the opening of a new facility for Q1 2021, which will boast over 3 hectares of fully automated advanced lettuce farm, making the largest commercial hydroponic project in the UAE.
At Armela Farms, produce is delivered immediately upon harvesting, with no or minimum storage or shipping time, to provide customers with produce that is fresher, tastier and more nutritious, while lasting longer. As the topic of food security becomes more prevalent across the GCC, these fantastic new technologies are going to make access to affordable and nutritious food easier for everyone.
Avir Shah, CEO and co-founder of Armela Farms, states: “Our mission is to sell hydroponic produce that is of high quality and high nutritional value, to maximize consumer benefits towards healthy living in the United Arab Emirates.”
Rachana Shah, director and co-founder at Armela Farms, adds: “Most people maybe don’t realize is that locally produced harvest, and, in particular, commercial hydroponics farming, provide not only better quality products, but also a cheaper price tag to benefit the customer, be it, retailers or consumers.” -
TradeArabia News Service
UAE: Armela Farms Gears Up To Open 3 ha Automated Lettuce Farm
After launching in August 2016, the Armela team has spent more than two years in Research and Development regarding techniques, varieties of produce and optimum climate conditions, before celebrating their first harvest in August 2018
After launching in August 2016, the Armela team has spent more than two years in Research and Development regarding techniques, varieties of produce and optimum climate conditions, before celebrating their first harvest in August 2018. Since then, the team has advanced its process to achieve over 250% of an increase in production and is currently finalizing the opening of a new facility for Q1 2021, which will boast over 3 hectares of fully automated advanced lettuce farm, making it the largest facility of its kind in the GCC.
Armela Farms will also partner with several leaders in the Dutch agriculture sector to build the largest automated data-driven growing facility in the United Arab Emirates. Located in Abu Dhabi, the farm will be able to create over 9,000,000 lettuce heads per annum; that’s equivalent to 2,300 tonnes per annum.
Dutch tech
Armela Farms has chosen Van der Hoeven Horticultural Products to supply the project. In conjunction, Armela Farms will be using specialist technologies from a variety of suppliers like Hoogendoorn, Patron Agri Systems, Green Production Systems, Rijk Zwaan, Jiffy, Koppert, due to the expertise and experience by each company in their individual fields.
Mr. Avir Shah, CEO, and Founder of Armela Farms states, “Our aim is to produce products which exceed our community's expectation and reduce the reliance of imported highly-priced products by bridging the supply and demand gap with affordable price. We can achieve this vision by utilizing available resources and transforming it into a hi-tech, sustainable food production facility in accordance with the country’s vision of National Food Security and self-sustainability.”
Mr. Yazan Abu Jaish, General Manager of Armela Farms: “The new facility, for example, will enable us to monitor the evaporation of a single plant at any given time and many other advanced parameters required for optimum plant grown and output. Armela Farms is now moving from traditional hydroponic farming to data-driven farming.”
Mr. Gerard Oorthuys of Van der Hoeven Horticultural Projects: “I was very impressed by the sheer knowledge of the Armela farms team and wanted to show them one of our constructed greenhouses to show our capability. From our regional experience, we understand the climatic challenges more than any other company and we are confident we will deliver them a fantastic project.”
For more information:
Armela Farms
armelafarms.com
Publication date: Mon 9 Mar 2020
Gotham Greens Greenhouse Replaces Bethlehem Steel Mill
Like other Gotham Greens facilities, the greenhouse uses hydroponic systems and is 100 percent powered by renewable energy
March 3, 2020
By Anca Gagiuc
All images courtesy of Gotham Greens and Julie McMahon
Like other Gotham Greens facilities, the greenhouse uses hydroponic systems and is 100 percent powered by renewable energy.
A portion of the former Bethlehem Steel Mill in Sparrows Point, Md., has sprouted as a hydroponic greenhouse. The 100,000-square-foot facility is located just outside of Baltimore, Md., and is Gotham Greens’ seventh facility of its kind nationwide.
Like the other Gotham Greens facilities, this greenhouse uses hydroponic systems and is 100 percent powered by renewable energy. The company claims that it uses 95 percent less water and 97 percent less land than conventional farming. In addition, the new greenhouse is served by proprietary data-driven tools that enable the producer to run one of the highest-yielding, most energy-efficient indoor farming systems available on the market.
The greenhouse will be the first to provide a year-round supply of fresh lettuce to retail, restaurant and foodservice customers across 10 states in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions. The current project opens 60 full-time green jobs in Baltimore. The firm has partnered with the Baltimore County Department of Economic and Workforce Development and the Center for Urban Families to find the best candidates for the positions.
Bethlehem Steel Mill has its origins in the 1880s and was acquired by Bethlehem Steel in 1916 when Sparrows Point became the world’s largest steel-producing center, where girders for the Golden Gate, George Washington and Bay bridges, as well as steel for shipbuilding during the World Wars, was produced. The facility gradually deteriorated until its bankruptcy in 2012.
High-Tech Urban Farming In Paris
Paris is opening the largest cultivation company in the world. With its Parisculteurs project, France, along with other cities, is strongly committed to urban agriculture
Paris is opening the largest cultivation company in the world. With its Parisculteurs project, France, along with other cities, is strongly committed to urban agriculture. This creates an opportunity for Dutch businesses.
The Parisculteurs project aims to green another 100 hectares in Paris this year. A third of this is earmarked for urban farming. There is much interest among Parisians for locally-grown products. There is also a need for green areas in this large French city.
There is, therefore, great enthusiasm for a project such as this. However, in many cases, it is a challenge to realize such a project. Space in the city is limited and expensive. The use of pesticides will be met with great resistance too.
Innovative techniques are, therefore, often used for urban agriculture. These include vertical farming and mixed cultivation. But digital aids also play a significant role in urban agriculture. For example, water-monitoring sensors are used in hydroponic systems.
No fossil fuels
The French startup, Neofarm, has taken its first high-tech greenhouse into use. It is located just west of Paris. Just a few kilometers from Paris lies the small town of Saint-Nom-la-Breteche. There, on a 1,000m2 plot, Neofarm is growing carrots, lettuce, and beans.
By planting different kinds of vegetables together, pesticide use is kept to a minimum. The startup is also busy developing a weeding robot. It uses online decision-making tools to optimize the process. In this way, Neofarm wants to develop a model for micro-farms.
They want to make it possible to cultivate high-quality organic products. That on little land, close to the city. With this model, the startup also wants to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. For example, their farm uses no fossil fuels. The healthy soil can store CO2 too.
Another French startup, Agricool, grows strawberries in containers. And since recently, herbs too. For this, this company uses an entirely closed system. Various sensors monitor it. According to Agricool, this closed system uses 90% less water than conventional farming.
Innovation
The importance Parisians attach to locally-produced products, therefore, ensures innovation in the chain. In France, there is a trend toward more organic, locally produced goods. Taking this into account, these developments will, more than likely, continue in the next few years.
This trend is also the case in other European countries. That offers opportunities for Dutch businesses. They can respond to these developments. They can, for example, supply materials that can be used at these types of urban farms.
Source: Agroberichten Buitenland / Renske Buisman
Publication date: Tue 11 Feb 2020
Gaby Miodownik Appointed Netafim's New CEO
"It is a great honor for me to be appointed CEO of Netafim after years of personal growth with the company
Gaby Miodownik has been appointed as the new CEO of Netafim, and will replace Ran Maidan, who announced his desire to retire from Netafim after six years as CEO. The company's board of directors has approved the appointment of Gaby Miodownik as CEO of Netafim, as of March 2020.
Gaby Miodownik, 46, married with 3 children, a CPA in his education, joined Netafim 16 years ago as CFO of the Latin American unit and then held a number of management positions in the company, including Head of the Mexican subsidiary, VP of EMEA division (Europe, Middle East, Africa) and most recently Senior Vice President and President of the Americas Division.
Daniel Martinez Vella, CEO of Orbia and Chairman of the Netafim Board of Directors: "I am proud and happy to appoint Gaby Miodownik as CEO of Netafim. Gaby has had a rich experience in Netafim, during which he gained extensive knowledge in agriculture and irrigation, extensive knowledge of the global market and the company's customers, and demonstrated high management, leadership, and impressive growth in all the roles he has played to date. I believe in Gaby and in his ability to lead Netafim to new heights, contributing to Orbia's vision to advance life around the world". Daniel added: "I want to thank Ran Maidan who led the company for the last 6 years taking it to unprecedented new heights and driving Netafim to significant sales and profit growth in recent years, along with developing growth engines and strengthening the company's competitive advantage".
Ran Maidan, CEO of Netafim: "I am grateful for the opportunity I have been given to lead Netafim for the past six years. I thank the management and employees for their great contribution to the success of the company and becoming a global market leader. From my long-standing acquaintance with Gaby, I am convinced that he is a great candidate and the best fit to move this great company forward".
Gaby Miodownik: "It is a great honor for me to be appointed CEO of Netafim after years of personal growth with the company. I would like to thank the Company's Board of Directors and Chairman of the Board Daniel Martinez Vella for the trust they have given me. Netafim is an excellent company with great potential, and I am convinced that together with the company's management and dedicated employees, we will continue to grow the company and further strengthen its position as the world's leading irrigation company."
For more information:
Netafim
www.netafim.com
Publication date: Mon 10 Feb 2020
Next Generation of Greenhouses May Be Fully Solar Powered
Many greenhouses could become energy neutral by using see-through solar panels to harvest energy – primarily from the wavelengths of light that plants don’t use for photosynthesis
Many greenhouses could become energy neutral by using see-through solar panels to harvest energy – primarily from the wavelengths of light that plants don’t use for photosynthesis. Those are the findings of a new modeling study conducted by engineering, plant biology and physics researchers at North Carolina State University.
“Plants only use some wavelengths of light for photosynthesis, and the idea is to create greenhouses that make energy from that unused light while allowing most of the photosynthetic band of light to pass through,” says Brendan O’Connor, corresponding author of the study and an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State. “We’re able to do this by using organic solar cells because they allow us to tune the spectrum of light that the solar cell absorbs – so we can focus on using mostly wavelengths of light that plants don’t use. However, until now it wasn’t clear how much energy a greenhouse could capture if it was using these semitransparent, wavelength selective, organic solar cells.”
To address that question, researchers used a computational model to estimate how much energy a greenhouse could produce if it had semitransparent organic solar cells on its roof – and whether that would be enough energy to offset the amount of energy the greenhouse required to operate effectively. The model was developed to estimate energy use for greenhouses growing tomatoes at locations in Arizona, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.
“A lot of the energy use in greenhouses comes from heating and cooling, so our model focused on calculating the energy load needed to maintain the optimal temperature range for tomato growth,” O’Connor says. “The model also calculated the amount of energy a greenhouse would produce at each location when solar cells were placed on its roof.”
The modeling is complex because there’s a complicated trade-off between the amount of power the solar cells generate and the amount of light in the photosynthetic band that they allow to pass through. Basically, if growers are willing to sacrifice larger amounts of photosynthetic growth, they can generate more power.
What’s more, the solar cells used for this analysis are effective insulators, because they reflect infrared light. This helps to keep greenhouses cooler in the summer while trapping more warmth in the winter.
The end result is that, for many greenhouse operators, the trade-off could be a small one. Particularly for greenhouses in warm or temperate climates.
For example, in Arizona, the greenhouses could become energy neutral – requiring no outside source of power – while blocking only 10% of the photosynthetic band of light. However, if growers are willing to block more photosynthetic light, they could generate twice as much energy as they required to operate the greenhouse. In North Carolina, a greenhouse could become energy neutral while blocking 20% of the photosynthetic light. In Wisconsin, greenhouses couldn’t become energy neutral using the semitransparent solar cells – keeping the greenhouse warm in winter requires too much energy. However, the solar cells could meet up to 46% of the greenhouse’s energy demand.
“While the technology does use some of the light plants rely on, we think the impact will be negligible on plant growth – and that the trade-off will make financial sense to growers,” O’Connor says.
The paper, “Achieving Net Zero Energy Greenhouses by Integrating Semitransparent Organic Solar Cells,” is published in the journal Joule. First author of the paper is Eshwar Ravishankar, a Ph.D. student at NC State. The paper was co-authored by Ronald Booth, a Ph.D. student at NC State; Carole Saravitz, director of the NC State University Phytotron; Heike Sederoff, professor of plant and microbial biology at NC State; and Harald Ade, Goodnight Innovation Distinguished Professor of Physics at NC State. The work was done with funding from the National Science Foundation, under grant number 1639429.
Source: NC State University
Publication date: Mon 10 Feb 2020
Locally Grown Salad Supplier Expands Distribution In The Mid-Atlantic
The expansion will include over 330 Food Lion stores throughout the state of Virginia that will be serviced from BrightFarms’ Culpeper, Virginia greenhouse
Including All 330 Virginia Food Lion stores
BrightFarms, a supplier of locally grown salads for supermarkets, is expanding distribution in the Mid-Atlantic with retail partner, Ahold-Delhaize USA. The expansion will include over 330 Food Lion stores throughout the state of Virginia that will be serviced from BrightFarms’ Culpeper, Virginia greenhouse.
Since 2016, BrightFarms locally grown salads have been sold throughout the Mid-Atlantic in more than 160 Giant Landover stores. The new Food Lion stores will expand BrightFarms’ reach into Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, and communities in western Virginia. It will also strengthen BrightFarms’ presence in Charlottesville, Richmond, and Norfolk, growing the company’s customer base and making its local, pesticide-free produce accessible to more consumers. The Food Lion portfolio will include popular BrightFarms’ varieties like Sunny Crunch, Baby Spinach, Spring Mix, Baby Arugula and Mixed Greens.
BrightFarms’ Culpeper greenhouse has also supplied GIANT Food Stores in Pennsylvania since 2017. Increasing consumer demand from those stores led BrightFarms to open its newest greenhouse in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania earlier this year. GIANT began sourcing product from the 280,000 sq. ft. Selinsgrove greenhouse earlier this month, enabling the Culpeper greenhouse to begin supplying all Food Lion stores in Virginia.
“Ahold-Delhaize USA is a leader in local produce. Since launching with Giant Landover in 2016, we’ve been fortunate to partner with several of their brands,” said Steve Platt, CEO of BrightFarms. “With our increased capacity on the East Coast, we're thrilled that we now have the opportunity to supply Food Lion’s Virginia stores with our fresh, delicious and pesticide-free greens.”
“Food Lion is committed to providing locally sourced, fresh, healthy and affordable produce for our customers across the towns and cities we serve. We’re excited about this expanded partnership with BrightFarms, which will expand our ability to deliver to our Virginia customers the high-quality, locally grown salad greens they expect from Food Lion,” said Chris Dove, Food Lion’s vice president of Produce Category and Merchandising.
For more information:
Amanda Mantiply
BrightFarms
Tel: 443.961.2418
Email: amanda@abelcommunications.com
www.brightfarms.com
Publication date: Fri 28 Feb 2020
Nature Fresh Farms Matt Quiring Transitions Role to Director of Sales
As Director of Sales, Matt will now be overseeing the development of all their retail accounts. “Matt’s transition into Director of Sales was a very easy and natural choice,” shared Vice President, John Ketler
Leamington, ON (February 21, 2020) – Nature Fresh Farms announced Matt Quiring’s recent role transition from Executive Retail Sales Accounts, Manager, to Director of Sales.
Matt Quiring, son of Nature Fresh Farms president and founder Peter Quiring, showed interest in Nature Fresh Farms at an early age, after gaining experience outside of the industry he joined Nature Fresh Farms Sales established in 2010. Developing his retail accounts from the ground-up, he advanced into the role of Executive Retail Sales Accounts Manager. In this position, Matt played an important role in developing partnerships with many of their major retailers and various customers.
As Director of Sales, Matt will now be overseeing the development of all their retail accounts. “Matt’s transition into Director of Sales was a very easy and natural choice,” shared Vice President, John Ketler. “With Matt handling the vast majority of our sales to date, it is clear that he has the drive, passion, and industry knowledge necessary to develop these relationships with our partners.”
General Manager, Frank Neufeld also expanded on Matt’s transition mentioning Nature Fresh Farms continuous expansion and what it means for the company. “With the growth of Nature Fresh Farms and Nature Fresh Farms Sales, we are welcoming many new members to our team, including additional sales staff. It was evident to us, seeing Matt’s experience, that he would be the one to lead the entire sales team moving forward,” said Frank. “We look forward to Matt bringing his leadership and mentoring skills to the rest of the sales team, helping them to strengthen the relationships he has established over the last several years with our partners.”
As Nature Fresh Farms focuses on company growth and developing relations, Matt’s role will assist in the continued progression of their team and retail partnerships. Nature Fresh Farms is excited for their future with the continuous expansion of their team, their advancements in technology and product innovation allowing them to provide fresh produce all year-round.
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About Nature Fresh Farms -
Continuously expanding, Nature Fresh Farms has become one of the largest independent, vertically integrated greenhouse vegetable farms in North America. As a year-round grower with farms in Leamington, ON, Delta, OH, and Mexico, Nature Fresh Farms prides itself on consistently delivering exceptional flavor and quality to key retailers throughout North America, while continuing to innovate and introduce more viable and sustainable growing and packaging solutions.
SOURCE: Nature Fresh Farms | info@naturefresh.ca T: 519 326 1111 | www.naturefresh.ca
Little Leaf Farms’ CEO Paul Sellew Advances Hydroponics As Company Expands
As agriculture strives for sustainability, growers need to tackle the duel problem of food waste and the inefficiency of transporting fresh produce thousands of miles across the country
DEVENS, MASS. – As agriculture strives for sustainability, growers need to tackle the duel problem of food waste and the inefficiency of transporting fresh produce thousands of miles across the country.
Food waste is estimated at between 30-40 percent of the food supply, and 98 percent of the nation’s lettuce is trucked from California and Arizona, contributing to the problem of spoiled produce. These shipments generate over 10,000 lbs. of CO2 per truckload, and hundreds of hours are being spent planning the logistics of food distribution. Furthermore, California continuously faces major droughts, and soil erosion is a problem plaguing farmers nationwide. As a result, traditional farming is increasingly unsustainable.
With mounting concerns about climate change and growing population demands, Paul Sellew, the founder and CEO of Little Leaf Farms, has a model growing method that brings year-round sustainable farming to New England and the East Coast with a smaller carbon footprint.
With its expansion to 10 acres in Devens, Mass. and new greenhouses planned in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, Sellew and the company’s head grower and manager, Pieter Slaman, a Dutch master of growing produce, have designed the most technologically advanced greenhouses in the world to grow lettuce with nearly 100 percent natural sunlight and recycled rain water without pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides.
They are growing crisp, baby green lettuce, incorporating principles of sustainability and state-of-the-art climate control technology. Key features include:
Hydroponic production – growing without soil – naturally protects increasingly stressed topsoil that is vulnerable to soil erosion, an increasing problem in agriculture today. This precise, soil-less method utilizes up to 90 percent less water than field-grown greens to grow crunchy, flavorful lettuce.
Little Leaf Farms uses the best glass, which diffuses light throughout the greenhouse resulting in greatest possible distribution of natural sunlight. The greenhouse is designed with the most efficient LED lights that target the specific wavelength ranges to maximize photosynthesis in the plants.
Little Leaf Farms’ Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) mobile gutter system is the most advanced in the world, delivering an approximately 20x yield increase per acre compared to traditional West Coast field agriculture and higher yields compared to other hydroponic systems. The main advantage of this technique over other hydroponic growing systems is the plant roots are exposed to adequate supplies or water, oxygen and nutrients all at the same time. This better and more efficient use of inputs also leads to lower production costs.
At Little Leaf Farms, lettuce is grown with 100 percent captured rainwater and almost 95 percent natural sunlight through special high-light transmission glass windows. The average annual rainfall is 46 inches in New England, and Little Leaf Farms uses about 23 inches a year.
To heat the greenhouse, Little Leaf Farms burns clean natural gas and captures the CO2 and releases it back into the greenhouse – making the process net neutral. Solar panels also generate about 20-30 percent of electricity.
Hydroponic growing is also safer because the lettuce does not come into contact with contaminates that field-grown lettuce is subjected to from livestock. The lettuce is not handled by human hands. It is also grown free of chlorine, other chemical washing agents and harmful chemical residues.
Autogrow Launches Wireless Smart Sensor Network Into US $40 Billion Global Greenhouse Market
“We’ve advocated for a long time in the industry that you can’t manage what you don’t measure and the decisions you make are only as good as the sensor technology gathering the data
5 February 2020
Leading AgTech expert Autogrow has released a wireless smart sensor giving greenhouse operators high-density microclimate data to improve yield, quality and decision making.
Each Folium sensor gathers environmental data including temperature, humidity, CO2, PAR, RAD and barometric pressure, which growers can view on a heatmap - immediately seeing differences across their grow areas. Folium enables greenhouse operators unlimited depth of environmental analysis, as the number of sensors is completely scalable.
“We’ve advocated for a long time in the industry that you can’t manage what you don’t measure and the decisions you make are only as good as the sensor technology gathering the data. Folium will go a long way to giving growers actionable data using state-of-the-art heat mapping technology. It reveals what the eye can’t see,” explains CEO Darryn Keiller.
“According to market analysts, the global greenhouse market is looking to exceed US$40billion in the next 5 years, so it’s a growth market we are excited to support. With over two years of research and development, and a huge amount of hard work from my team, it’s fantastic to have Folium in the market and offer greenhouse growers new technology that will substantially impact their bottom line.”
Folium’s target customer is large greenhouse growers who, simply by the size of their operations, require high-density climate data to ensure all areas of their facilities are providing the optimal environment for growth. The sensor network reliably scales to any size greenhouse.
Chief Technology Officer Jonathan Morgan notes that sensor technology can be incredibly complex but the experience for the grower should be easy and meaningful.
“We’ve been lucky to work with some fantastic growers throughout the development of Folium who have shared their time, knowledge and grow operations to ensure we are solving some of the pain points they experience when dealing with microclimates,” says Mr. Morgan.
“This is just the beginning of what Folium will be able to do. With the way our technology has been designed, we can easily introduce new features that continually support growers. They can also add more Folium units as their business grows and being connected to our cloud platform gives them access anywhere at any time.”
For more information www.autogrow.com/products/folium
PHOTOS: Folium unit in a greenhouse / Heatmap image showing PAR readings
Kylie Horomia
Head of Brand & Communications
(m) +6421 733 025
About Autogrow
Autogrow leverages the power of technology, data science, and plant biology to provide indoor growers affordable, accessible and easy-to-use innovation – 24/7, anywhere in the world.
Our solutions support growers and resellers in over 40 countries producing over 100 different crop types.
We are the experts in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) and continue to stay ahead of a rapidly evolving landscape.
Autogrow, Level 1, Building 3, 61 Constellation Drive, Mairangi Bay, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
Nature Fresh Farms Becomes First Greenhouse To Offer Employees Health Services Through the weCHC’s Mobile Clinic
“The weCHC Mobile Clinic treats illness or injury but can also serve as a family doctor for our local and foreign employees seeking proactive health care,” Jeff Gagnon, Nature Fresh Farms corp
Leamington, ON (February 12, 2019) – On January 23rd the new weCHC on Wheels mobile health clinic arrived at Nature Fresh Farms greenhouse facilities delivering health services to its employees.
Nature Fresh Farms became the first greenhouse to offer the weCHC mobile clinic health and personal support services to its employees. The 38-foot bus was parked outside of their Plant 1 greenhouse offering services including diagnosis and treatment of conditions, counseling and brief intervention services, system navigation, and referrals to all employees in need.
The mobile clinic alternates between the company’s Plant 1 and Plant 2 facilities every week providing on-site health care services. Employees can make an appointment between 10:30 AM to 2 PM with 8 slots every Thursday. Available for consultation will be a Nurse Practitioner who will provide immediate care and ongoing support as needed. A confidential service, all information will be kept on file and available for employee’s personal health services to access.
“The weCHC Mobile Clinic treats illness or injury but can also serve as a family doctor for our local and foreign employees seeking proactive health care,” explained Jeff Gagnon, Corporate Compliance Director at Nature Fresh Farms. “Wellness is an important value at Nature Fresh Farms, and we are very appreciative to have this program offered to our employees currently at two of our locations.”
Nature Fresh Farms also provides employees and their families with workplace wellness resources through the Employee Assistance Program. EAP is a voluntary program providing specialized services, at no cost to employees, through qualified professionals and experts such as counselors, financial consultants, health professionals, and lawyers. It has become a very successful service used by many of our employees and their families. Nature Fresh Farms hopes that programs such as EAP and weCHC on Wheels will give its employees greater accessibility to healthcare services.
“The programs we offer at Nature Fresh Farms are meant not only to attract and maintain employees but to provide them with the best possible care,” shared General Manager of Nature Fresh Farms, John Ketler. “We understand that many of our employees are busy balancing work and home life or coming from abroad that are in need of convenient forms of access to healthcare. This mobile unit brings a convenient, simple and quick way to provide diagnosis and care of what they may be experiencing.”
Nature Fresh Farms is committed to addressing and understanding the needs of their employees by investing in their wellbeing through these programs. Offering both physical and mental health assistance, they hope to continue making the workplace a happier, healthier, and more productive place to work.
About Nature Fresh Farms
Continuously expanding, Nature Fresh Farms has become one of the largest independent, vertically integrated greenhouse vegetable farms in North America. As a year-round grower with farms in Leamington, ON, Delta, OH, and Mexico, Nature Fresh Farms prides itself on consistently delivering exceptional flavor and quality to key retailers throughout North America, while continuing to innovate and introduce more viable and sustainable growing and packaging solutions.
SOURCE: Nature Fresh Farms | info@naturefresh.ca T: 519 326 1111 | www.naturefresh.ca
Famous Italian Tomatoes, Prized All Over The World, Are Soon To Be Available In Mauritius!
This is despite the sharp fall in reputation of fresh locally grown vegetables, a situation that has been worsened by numerous reports of toxicity, high levels of pesticides, hormones and other synthetic compounds, known to be very harmful to our health
Famous Italian Tomatoes, prized all over the World, are soon to be available in Mauritius! This is despite the fall in the reputation of locally grown vegetables, a situation worsened by numerous reports of toxicity, high levels of pesticides, and compounds known to be very harmful to our health.
The biggest hydroponics farm in Mauritius is out to change all that by growing pesticide-free crops in environmentally friendly greenhouses - and getting bees to do the hard work.
(picture: First of Five Units representing phase one of the Project)
Set amidst the lush sugar-cane fields of Morcellement St Andre, in the heart of the Northern Plains Irrigation Scheme, Esprit Vert Ltd was launched in mid-2018 by Eric Le Vieux as a response to the need for flavorsome and nutritious local produce. Produce that is as pure as nature intended. “Our aim is to return the goodness to fresh foods, - and restore faith in eating locally grown produce”, said Mr. Eric Le Vieux, one of the project promoters.
“We are hearing repeatedly that food production must increase not only in Mauritius, but Worldwide, if we are to meet the food demands of 10 billion people in the next 30 years. We are constantly reminded by the UN that we will need to double the amount of land and water to produce food for everyone. Coupled with climate change, what we are witnessing is dramatic changes in the weather and it is having a seriously damaging impact on agriculture. Here, at Esprit Vert, we are imagining new, more efficient ways of farming, harnessing both technology and biotech to produce more food with less resources”, he said.
Improvements in drip Irrigation, state-of-the-art computers, and even a weather station, means that at Esprit Vert – fresh produce can be grown in a controlled environment, using organic mediums, and taking a fraction of the water used in open field cultivation.
“In addition to technology-driven water savings, we aim to satisfy 90% of our annual water needs by harvesting the average rainfall in our area. With over 30,000 square meters of roof we have the potential to harness up to 48 million liters annually”, said Mr. Le Vieux.
These state-of-the-art greenhouses have been equipped to provide substantial amounts of forced air exchange.
“This is aimed at eliminating seasonality issues by attempting to combat the effects of heat and high humidity in the summer months”, says Mr. Eric Le Vieux.
“Our strategy focuses on the use of bumblebees to pollinate the flowers, and we will release a series of beneficial insects who are the natural predators to bugs that eat our fruits and vegetables. To this end, we have received excellent support from our partners at Bio Bee in Israel, and Koppert Biological Systems in Holland, from where these sterile insects are shipped to over 80 Countries. We have also received excellent support from the Entomology and NPPO Divisions of the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security. Our B2G dialogue across many Departments has enabled complex protocols to be put in place, to ensure that the foundations are well laid for future success. The hope is to start the building blocks towards reducing and/or eliminating pesticide use altogether in Mauritius”.
In its first phase, Esprit Vert looks to become the largest producer in Mauritius for fresh tomatoes and is excited to be bringing back to the market, varieties that have been lost along the way, ones that boast real flavor and a higher sweetness.
One emphasis at this modern farming company is that of respecting nature and at Esprit Vert, the commitment to the environment is reflected in further downstream innovations.
“We have co-sponsored a project at a nearby High School to set up a recycling plant and this means we have secured an ecological outcome for the plastic that is discarded annually from the coco grow bags” said Eric Le Vieux.
(picture) Some of the Esprit Vert organic Varieties coming soon!
Looking ahead, Esprit Vert points to other segments of the fruit and vegetable market that appear interesting. “Our plans include culinary herbs, baby leaf salads, fresh mushrooms, as well as the establishment of a large-scale nursery for grafted Maluma variety avocado trees”. Commenting further, Mr. Eric Le Vieux adds, “We have recently signed a joint venture agreement with the Global leaders in the technologically demanding area of Commercial Mico-Leaf production. Project planning for this is almost complete and we are looking forward to seeing this activated in late 2020”.
(picture) Mr. J Le Vieux speaking with the Esprit Vert Master Grower, Mr. Gavin Williams
The first phase of development looks breathtakingly large and is visible on the A4 passing Solitude towards Bon Air.
“As we go into the final lap, towards our first harvests, we have many partners to thank for their amazing support”, says Eric Le Vieux. “Our Project has been made possible thanks to the enormous efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Irrigation Authority, the National Plant Protection Office, as well as the French Government whose backing has been welcomed under the support of the Agence Française de Développement, and not least of all, our finance partners at Mauritius Commercial Bank who have been an amazing support”.
(picture) Some varieties on trial at a special facility in the East of Mauritius.
University of Arizona - Controlled Environment Agriculture Center - SHORT COURSE
Join us March 2 - 6 for CEAC’s Short Course! REGISTER HERE!
Join us March 2 - 6 for CEAC’s Short Course! REGISTER HERE!
Get your questions answered and increase your hydroponic growing know-how at the Greenhouse Crop Production & Engineering Design Short Course! Expand your knowledge during a four-day intensive conference including 3 full days of lecture, 1 day of hands-on training workshops at CEAC facilities, and a commercial Arizona greenhouse tour.
This jam-packed event is full of information from experts in research, production and the bottom-line business of controlled environment agriculture. Enjoy face-to-face time with industry experts, as well as networking time with industry leaders!
For more information please call us at (520) 626-9566 or go
to: https://ceac.arizona.edu/events/cea-short-course
Why Vertical Farming Isn't A Miracle Solution To Food Security
Vertical farming is great for growing lots of food in a small space, but productivity comes at a cost: high energy use
Vertical farming is great for growing lots of food in a small space, but productivity comes at a cost: high energy use. We need to consider other, more sustainable, types of urban agriculture, says Andrew Jenkins
Friday 28 September 2018
A company in Scotland has unveiled what it claims is arguably the world’s most technically advanced indoor farm. Intelligent Growth Solutions’ vertical farm uses artificial intelligence and specially designed power and communication technologies. The firm says this reduces energy costs by 50 percent and labour costs by 80 percent when compared to other indoor growing environments, and can produce yields of up to 200 percent more than that of a traditional greenhouse.
Vertical farms like this aim to minimize water use and maximize productivity by growing crops “hydroponically” in small amounts of nutrient-rich water stacked in a climate-controlled building. But it’s important to recognize that the increased productivity of indoor vertical farming comes at the cost of much higher energy usage due to the need for artificial lighting and climate control systems.
By 2050, global food production will need to increase by an estimated 70 percent in developed countries and 100 percent in developing countries to match current trends in population growth (based on production information from 2005 to 2007). But in countries that already use the majority of their land for farming, this is easier said than done.
The UK, for example, uses 72 percent of its landmass for agricultural practices but imports nearly half of the food it consumes. To improve domestic food security and prevent natural habitats from being destroyed for new farmland, countries such as the UK need to consider new methods of food production.
Urban farming presents a unique opportunity to grow food on already developed land, increase domestic food production and minimize the distance food travels. Since the publication of Dickson Despommier’s 2010 book The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century, vertical farming has become synonymous with urban farming. Although the agricultural skyscrapers illustrated in Despommier’s book are yet to be realized, the idea of growing food vertically has captured the minds of designers and engineers alike.
Aquaponic systems that grow food with the help of fish are a naturally lit option (Andrew Jenkins)
The energy demand associated with vertical farming, however, is much higher than other methods of food production. For example, lettuces grown in traditionally heated greenhouses in the UK need an estimated 250kWh of energy a year for every square metre of growing area. In comparison, lettuces grown in a purpose built vertical farm need an estimated 3,500kWh a year for each square metre of growing area. Notably, 98 percent of this energy use is due to artificial lighting and climate control.
Even with the reductions promised by Intelligent Growth Solutions, the energy demand associated with most vertical farms would still be very high, which positions vertical farming in a grey area. On the one hand, the world needs to produce more food, and on the other hand, it needs to reduce energy use and the production of greenhouse gases.
Urban alternatives
But indoor vertical farming isn’t the only way to grow food in cities. A plethora of naturally lit methods also exists, from raised beds in communal gardens to rooftop aquaponic systems that grow food with the help of fish. These methods all require less energy when compared to vertical farming because they don’t need artificial lighting.
Lufa Farms makes use of vacant roof space to grow food in naturally lit hydroponic greenhouses (Wikimedia Commons)
When viewing cities from above, it is clear to see just how many flat roofs are left vacant and the agricultural opportunities they represent. In the city of Manchester in the UK, unoccupied flat roofs account for an area of 136 hectares, representing one-third of the city’s inner urban area.
Gotham Greens in New York and Lufa Farms in Montreal, for example, are both commercial farms that use vacant roof space to grow food in naturally lit hydroponic greenhouses. Given the success of such projects and the area of roof space available, it seems strange that so many companies would skip ahead to methods of food production that still need a lot of costly development, as well as more energy to operate. Although they can’t grow as much food, rooftop greenhouses need at least 70 percent less energy for each square metre of growing area than artificially lit vertical farms.
Lead Photo: The method is a tempting solution for city designers low on space... but it’s not the only one out there ( Reuters )
Hydroponic Greenhouse Project To Bring Locals Food And Jobs
A new greenhouse facility will come to Torrington, CT - in addition to providing fresh, local, pesticide-free produce to residents of New England, it will also offer something else: economic opportunities to disadvantaged citizens
From left to right: Bill Rybczyk, Director of Research, Development, and Planning at New Opportunities; Joe Swartz, AmHydro; Jon Jensen, of The Corporate Advisory, Co, LLC.
A new greenhouse facility will come to Torrington, CT - in addition to providing fresh, local, pesticide-free produce to residents of New England, it will also offer something else: economic opportunities to disadvantaged citizens.
New Opportunities is a community action agency that serves Waterbury, Meriden, Torrington and 27 surrounding Connecticut towns, offering a variety of social service programs designed to eliminate poverty and assist people in need. In accordance with the mission of New Opportunities, the Agency aims to increase the self-sufficiency of its customers and support their move out of poverty toward a more middle-class lifestyle. As part of their Food 4 Thought initiative, New Opportunities is planning to build three hydroponic greenhouses in Torrington.
Years in the making
The decision to build the greenhouses didn't happen overnight. New Opportunities has been working on the development of a Controlled Environment Agriculture production facility for over three years. A business team working with the New Opportunities Foundation spent over a year evaluating controlled environment agriculture technologies and providers. After an extensive search and several interview meetings, New Opportunities chose AmHydro as the best and most experienced team to fit their needs, Joe Swartz, Vice President with AmHydro, tells us.
Food and jobs for locals
The goal of this initial project is to not only generate revenue for the foundation but also provide local residents and regional grocery chains such as Whole Foods, Stop and Shop and Big Y pesticide-free lettuce and leafy greens, living wage “green jobs” to local residents and sound economic opportunities for disadvantaged residents in the program. To achieve this goal, AmHydro has also partnered with Atlas Greenhouse, ATOM Controls, and Borghesi Builders to complete this project.
For more information:
AmHydro
1 (800) 458-6543
info@amhydro.com
amhydro.com
Congress Funds Office of Urban & Innovative Agriculture
The Mission of the Office is to encourage and promote urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural practices
By Brian Filipowich
The new Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production created by the 2018 Farm Bill had been sitting in limbo for the past year. The USDA declined to establish it without dedicated funding from Congress.
On December 20, 2019, the President signed into law H.R. 1865, The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020. The Law includes $5 million for the Office.
The Mission of the Office is to encourage and promote urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural practices, including:
community gardens and farms located in urban areas, suburbs, and urban clusters;
rooftop farms, outdoor vertical production, and green walls;
indoor farms, greenhouses, and high-tech vertical technology farms; and
hydroponic, aeroponic, and aquaponic farm facilities.
The Office will disburse $10 million in grants before 2023 intended to “facilitate urban agricultural production, harvesting, transportation, and marketing.”
Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) was the main sponsor of the new Office and was responsible for adding it to the 2018 Farm Bill. This past Fall, Senator Stabenow introduced an amendment to appropriate the $5 million to fund it.
The next step is to establish the Advisory Committee that will guide the establishment of the Office. The Committee is to be composed of 12 individuals from various sectors of the urban and innovative ag field.
The Farm Bill directed the establishment of the advisory committee by Summer, 2019. The USDA missed the target date because of the lack of funding and the USDA’s major relocation project from Washington, DC to Kansas City, MO, which “has resulted in catastrophic attrition at USDA’s top research agencies.”
Hopefully, with the new funding, the USDA can establish the Office soon.
Nature Fresh Farms Focused On Giving Back In 2019 Holiday Season
Nature Fresh Farms continues to give back to their community through their various initiatives providing some much-needed joy for families in need
Nature Fresh Farms continues to give back to their community through their various initiatives providing some much-needed joy for families in need.
On December 21st and 22nd, as part of their Holiday Giveaway initiative, Nature Fresh Farms and South Essex Fabricating visited a total of 45 families; 34 in Windsor/Essex and 11 families in Fulton County Ohio, providing each of them with $200 in groceries and a $500 gift card. This has been the third consecutive year the companies have carried out their Holiday Giveaway. The companies initially set out to sponsor 30 families, however, employees of the companies came together to sponsor an additional 15 families – bringing the total number to 45 families.
In addition to their Giveaway, the cross-company food drive took place over a two-week period where South Essex Fabricating and Nature Fresh Farms employee donations led to a total of 5,128 dry goods collected. The companies brought the non-perishable food items to the local Salvation Army in Leamington, Ontario & The Open Door in Delta, Ohio.
Both initiatives were extremely successful in providing families with some much-needed cheer this season.
“The amount of donations raised for our Holiday Giveaway and cross-company food drive really shows the incredible generosity and kindness of our team members at Nature Fresh Farms and South Essex Fabricating,” said Founder and Owner, Peter Quiring. “It was very humbling to see how everyone was inspired to give back to people in need in our communities in such a meaningful way.”
On December 17th Nature Fresh Farms also presented a $2000 donation to the local organization, The Bridge, where Allocation Manager at Nature Fresh Farms, Justin Guenther, brought the donation on behalf of the participants of their 15-kilometer fundraiser. Beginning in August, participants would walk or run a total of 15 km per week for 12 weeks. Any participant that did not reach the 15 km had to donate $5 for each kilometer they were under. The goal of the fundraiser was to promote a healthy lifestyle while raising funds for the local organization.
“As a team, we always want to challenge ourselves to lead healthy lifestyles,” shared Justin Guenther. “A fundraiser like this encourages that while raising money for an organization that our company already supports heavily. This has been a win-win for our team.”
Nature Fresh Farms constantly seeks to engage with their communities in their ongoing fundraising efforts. Helping support local organizations and providing deserving families with some much-needed cheer is one way they are able to show their appreciation to the community and their commitment to those needing some extra assistance.
For more information:
Kara Badder
Nature Fresh Farms
Tel: +1 (519) 326-1111
Email: kara@naturefresh.ca
www.naturefresh.ca
Publication date: Fri 3 Jan 2020
Vertical Farming vs. Greenhouse Farming
When starting a farming operation, the first choice you face is what type of farm to start
June 1, 2019
When starting a farming operation, the first choice you face is what type of farm to start. The options are many: indoor vs. outdoor; arable vs pastoral; intensive vs. extensive. For farmers going the indoor route, one of the biggest decisions is between vertical farms and greenhouses. Both vertical farms and greenhouses operate indoors, which means they enjoy benefits like climate control, year-round growing, and chemical-free pest control.
However, there are as many differences between these types of farms as there are similarities. Each one serves a unique purpose; but, they can be compared in terms of efficiency. For a long time, it was thought that greenhouses were more efficient and profitable than vertical farms, due to the lack of a need for artificial lighting. But recently, a study out of Quebec showed that vertical farms enjoy a number of benefits over greenhouses–especially if the farm is operating for commercial purposes.
To understand what those benefits are, we first need to understand the reasons for farming indoors in the first place.
WHY GROW INDOORS?
For most of human history, farming has been an outdoor operation. Plants need sunlight to live, and soil to get water and nutrients from, so it’s no surprise that the traditional farm is an outdoor farm.
But as agriculture developed, farmers gradually realized that there were benefits to farming indoors. For one, it allowed certain crops to be grown all year long. For another, it kept pesticides at bay. And finally, indoor farming in ‘hot’ greenhouses could cause plants to grow faster than they would outdoors. By the late Roman Empire, greenhouse-like methods were already being used for these and other reasons.
In the 1800s, Greenhouses hit their stride, as European farmers started using them to grow tropical plants that otherwise wouldn’t grow naturally on their continent. This fact illustrates the main benefit of indoor farming: it provides the ability to grow crops year round, in a controlled environment, free from pests.
if you want it a bit shorter, this whole section can easily be cut
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN VERTICAL FARMS AND GREENHOUSES
Although vertical farms and greenhouses are both indoor facilities, the similarities end there. First, greenhouses rely on sunlight, while vertical farms rely on artificial light. Second, vertical farms have plants stacked in layers, while greenhouses have them arranged on one horizontal plane. Third, vertical farms can operate in urban areas, while greenhouses require a large amount of space and are therefore best suited for rural or suburban environments.
Many people have argued that, because vertical farms require artificial light, they are necessarily less efficient than greenhouses. It is true that artificial light is a major cost at vertical farms. However, the paper “Comparing a Greenhouse to a Vertical Farm in Quebec” showed that growing lettuce in a vertical farm can actually be more profitable than growing it in a greenhouse, owing to two factors: increased yield per square meter, and centralized distribution.
"When starting a farming operation, the first choice you face is what type of farm to start. The options are many: indoor vs. outdoor; arable vs pastoral; intensive vs. extensive"
YIELD
The main advantage that vertical farms have over greenhouses is greater yield per square meter. Although vertical farms have higher light and heat costs, they have the benefit of more produce grown per unit of soil. This means that even though vertical farms cost more to operate, they produce more crops, with the end result being higher revenue.
The policy paper mentioned proves this through the results of a simulation, which showed that lettuce grown in a vertical farm has a slightly higher yield than that grown in a greenhouse.
DISTRIBUTION
One major advantage of vertical farms is centralized distribution. Because these farms can be run in warehouses or almost any kind of building, they can be located in urban areas. This puts them right at the heart of major distribution hubs, in the middle of a big local customer base. So, compared to a rural greenhouse, a vertical farm has less distance to travel to get to customers, and when it does have to ship over a distance, it has better transportation options.
As a result, vertical farm crops can be sold more quickly and at higher margins than greenhouse crops. According to the Quebec paper, this creates a perception of freshness that helps the vertical farm produce sell quicker than the greenhouse equivalent.
GROSS PROFITS
As a result of centralized distribution, vertical farms may enjoy higher gross profits than greenhouses. The Quebec paper showed this to be the case specifically for lettuce grown in the Quebec area. Although the wholesale price of lettuce produced at greenhouses and vertical farms is usually the same, the vertical farm’s lettuce may enjoy a premium when sold in its local market due to the perception of freshness. Additionally, because the vertical farm is located in an urban area, it can ship more fresh produce to more customers, without high transportation costs.
A second reason for the higher gross profits at vertical farms is winter heating costs. It’s almost taken as a gospel truth that greenhouses use more electricity than urban farms. But that’s not necessarily the case. It really depends on the specific farm(s) in question. As the Quebec experiment showed, in areas that get extremely cold in the winter, Greenhouses can be very expensive to heat. Depending on how rural their location is, they may need to be heated by a generator; and depending on their size, they may consume quite a bit of electricity. So while the vertical farm needs to be heated year round, the greenhouse can actually be more expensive to heat in the crucial winter season.
GROWTH POTENTIAL
One area where vertical farms really shine is the potential for growth. While sales from greenhouses are growing at 8% year-over-year, sales from vertical farms are growing at a full 30% annually. That means that vertical farms are growing more than three times as quickly as greenhouses. While part of this can be explained by the fact that vertical farms are newer than greenhouses, it also has to do with centralized distribution. Since vertical farms have access to urban distribution centers, they can get more product out, more quickly, than greenhouses can. The greater yield per square metre of vertical farm space also contributes to this fast growth.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Vertical farming is the cutting edge of agriculture. Offering the ability to grow more crops, in a controlled environment, inside major distributions hubs (i.e. cities), it takes advantage of economies of scale in a way no other farming operation can. In the past, many critics have cited lighting costs as a stumbling block to profitability for vertical farms. But as the Quebec research paper showed, vertical farming can actually be more profitable than a conventional greenhouse operation. Especially when situated in major urban centers, and taking full advantage of the distribution benefits that come with that, vertical farms can be highly profitable. And when you add the benefits of automated labor into the equation, the benefits can be greater still.
We see VF as the evolution of the greenhouseWe see VF as the evolution of the greenhouse
Latest developments in LED (less consumption) and solar energy (higher efficiency) will reduce the biggest remaining cost factor (energy) during the next years
Automation will increase the benefits of a VF even further
MORE NEWS
Europe’s most automated Vertical Farm in Basel (CH)
August 1, 2019
Growcer is setting up Switzerland’s first vertical farm in Basel. At the same time, it’s one of Europe’s most automated Vertical Farms using latest achievements in Robotics & AI. The farm is six floors high and can produce leafy vegetables, herbs, shoots and fruit all year round.
How do we feed a growing population most of whom live in cities?
Why We Don’t Use Containers For Our Farms
July 1, 2019
When you decide to start a vertical farm, you’re immediately faced with a number of choices.
Should you put your farm in an urban location, or a rural location?
In a cold environment, or a warm one?
Should you use hydroponic systems, or soil?
About Growcer
May 1, 2019
Feeding the world has always been a challenge. With ever-growing populations and a limited supply of food, innovations are needed to make food better, cheaper, and more abundant. From the early days of agriculture to the mass farming of today, new technologies have arisen to meet the challenge of providing food for the world….
US: Little Leaf Farms Doubling Hydroponic, Greenhouse-Growing Operations in MA In 2020
In 2016, Little Leaf Farms opened its doors in Devens, Massachusetts and sent its first truck of fresh baby greens off to grocery stores in New England, and they haven’t stopped since
For many business owners, Paul Sellew has a good problem to solve. The founder and chief executive officer of Little Leaf Farms is producing one million boxes of fresh greenhouse-grown baby green lettuce a month, delivered to every major supermarket chain in New England usually within 24 hours, year-round, and demand cannot keep up with supply.
In 2016, Little Leaf Farms opened its doors in Devens, Massachusetts and sent its first truck of fresh baby greens off to grocery stores in New England, and they haven’t stopped since. New Englanders can’t get enough of the sustainably grown, pesticide free, crispy baby lettuce.
Demand has increased so much that Little Leaf Farms will double its growing capacity in May 2020 to 10 acres in Devens and will expand distribution to New York and New Jersey’s major supermarket chains. Little Leaf Farms also plans to break ground in the Eastern Pennsylvania region on a 20-acre greenhouse to supply stores locally, followed by another 20-acre greenhouse located in Western North Carolina to extend distribution of its signature locally-grown lettuce that has a devoted – some would say cult-like -- following among consumers in New England. Each acre of greenhouse will yield 25 times that of lettuce grown on an outdoor farm. To support this expansion, Bank of America has stepped in with over $18 million of financing today, to be followed by another $20 million to help finance the company’s growth.
“We are changing the way food is grown in New England and changing consumer expectations for fresh produce in this part of the world. And after becoming the number one lettuce brand in New England in just two years, we know there is tremendous opportunity to expand to new geographies and feed families, a fresher, cleaner, more nutritious lettuce than what they can buy today,” Sellew said. Little Leaf Farms is a great business success story.
Little Leaf Farms grows lettuce hydroponically with great efficiency. The company uses 100 percent captured rainwater and utilizes advanced fertilization and irrigation systems that use 90 percent less water than field-grown greens so there is no depletion of groundwater reserves. With the nation’s dual problem of farming issues that are a result of climate change and growing population demands, Little Leaf Farms has a model growing method that brings year-round sustainable farming to New England and the East Coast with a smaller carbon footprint. “California is a state without a lot of water, yet that’s where most of our nation’s lettuce is being grown,” Sellew says. “That’s unsustainable.”
Growing locally and shipping within 24 hours to local stores adds to their efficiency. No human hands ever touch the lettuce as its grown safely, with less risk of contamination. As Little Leaf Farms expands, Sellew said they are also looking at growing new varieties of lettuce.
“We’ve been in an over-demand situation for 18 months,” said Little Leaf Farms’ co-founder Tim Cunniff. “Customers tell us all the time that this is the best lettuce out there. It’s the freshest. It’s the tastiest. It’s the safest. It’s grown the most sustainably. It will last the longest in your refrigerator, and it’s a good price value.”
For more information:
Little Leaf Farms
P.O. Box 2069
Devens, MA 01434
844-LIL-LEAF (844-545-5323)
info@LittleLeafFarms.com
www.littleleaffarms.com
Publication date: Mon 23 Dec 2019
United Fresh 2020 To Feature Inaugural Controlled-Environment Pavilion
To support this growing category of indoor agriculture, the United Fresh Produce Association has joined forces with the Controlled Environment Agriculture Food Safety Coalition (CEA Food Safety Coalition) on a Controlled Environment Pavilion.
By Bridget Goldschmidt - 12/26/2019
Indoor agriculture methods such as hydroponic greenhouses have seen rapid growth over the past few years
To support this growing category of indoor agriculture, the United Fresh Produce Association has joined forces with the Controlled Environment Agriculture Food Safety Coalition (CEA Food Safety Coalition) on a Controlled Environment Pavilion. The new pavilion on the United 2020 expo floor will bring together growers, companies offering tools and technologies for indoor production, and thought leaders helping to grow the farming method.
“We’re pleased to collaborate with United Fresh in hosting this new pavilion,” said Marni Karlin, executive director of the coalition, a member-governed group whose mission is to develop credible, strong, and appropriate food safety standards; educate consumers and regulators on controlled-environment growing; and communicate the value of this type of agriculture. “Our members are pioneering new production models in fresh produce, and we look forward to the opportunity to engage with participants at the United Fresh event – to share perspectives and create an opportunity for conversation across the entire supply chain.”
Among the members of the CEA Food Safety Coalition are BrightFarms, AeroFarms, Plenty, Little Leaf Farms, Revol Greens and Bowery.
The pavilion will feature a discussion area where thought leaders can discuss current issues and growth opportunities for indoor agriculture, hydroponics, vertical farms and rapidly expanding greenhouse production. Retail and foodservice buyers can visit the pavilion to find out more about the category and meet with potential suppliers.
“From first-generation indoor farms growing tomatoes and cukes, to today’s innovators growing berries, leafy greens, microgreens, herbs and more, the Controlled Environment Pavilion is the place to meet with potential customers and service providers, and learn from experts in every phase of the business,” said Tom Stenzel, president and CEO of Washington, D.C.-based United Fresh, which represents companies across every segment of the fresh produce supply chain, including growers, shippers, fresh-cut processors, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, foodservice operators, industry suppliers and allied associations.
Growers and service providers may exhibit their products in stand-alone booths alongside the Controlled Environment Pavilion, or choose from 10-foot-by-10-foot in-line booths or kiosks within the pavilion.
United Fresh 2020 will take place June 16-19 in San Diego.