USA: Video - Wellstar Health Using Hydroponics To Feed Employees, Patients Across Atlanta

September 13, 2024

Story by Joshua Skinner

Lettuce hangs on a rack inside the "Wellfarm" at Wellstar health's Marietta, GA, facility.© Joshua Skinner / Atlanta News First

MARIETTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - As seasons change, certain crops in Georgia move out, and others move in. But there are some tricks to get around that, and it’s not just traditional farmers taking advantage.

“We’re going to start with a nice, fresh olive oil,” said chef Michael Fakih. “Just a little bit of garlic. About a quarter teaspoon of that.”

Fakih isn’t a chef at a restaurant, per se, but rather at Wellstar Health in Marietta.

Aromas fill the room as he whips, dips, and sprinkles an array of ingredients together, creating a delectable Italian dish.

But many of the delicious ingredients covering the pasta aren’t bought from a store; they’re grown yards away on the Wellstar property.

“My first job was in Kmart at the garden center,” said Patrick John, known as the “Wellfarmer.”

John runs the property’s hydroponic farm.

“I don’t even feel like I’m coming into work anymore,” he said, inspecting various greens on racks inside a 40-foot shipping container. “I’m just doing something I enjoy doing.”

The farm has been running for over a month and is already churning ingredients for meals and salads, producing nearly 200 pounds of greens weekly. John uses 90% less water than a traditional farm, growing 2.5 acres of greens in 325 square feet of space.

“We have our Tropicana leaf lettuce, our summer crisp lettuce, and our red leaf lettuce, which is down here,” Johns said, ripping off different plants. There is also basil and arugula, among other plants.

No waste, simple logistics.

“No four days, no five days for delivery to come in,” Fakih said. “It’s fresh. From [John] to here, it takes 30 seconds.”

What isn’t served at the Marietta location is boxed and sent daily to over 300 Wellstar locations to serve staff and patients.

“The flavor, the oils – it’s beyond belief,” Fakih said.