Category: Produce Blueprints

This industry segment is all very promising, but how far can vertical farming go?

Another recent addition to the vertical farming scene is 80 Acres Farms, a Hamilton, OH-based operation started in 2015 by current CEO Mike Zelkind and business partner Tisha Livingston.

Charleston SC-based Vertical Roots is a company with a novel approach to vertical farming.

Focusing squarely on the technological solutions side, Canadian firm CubicFarm Systems Corporation, from Langley, BC, takes a different approach to the vertical farming concept.

Fitting into the urban landscape is Bowery Farming, Inc., a New York City-based startup founded in 2015 by Irving Fain.

Establishing its first commercial farm in Ithaca, NY in 2004, Newark, NJ-based AeroFarms can lay claim to being one of the earliest entrants to the North American vertical farming industry, with a business that has since expanded to include a farm in a former pinball and laser tag arena.

Vertical growing systems vary widely—from stacked shelves under LED lights to placing plants on rapidly moving platforms—but innovation is rife across the industry and possibilities are expanding on an almost daily basis.

When produce transactions start to go sideways, it’s helpful to have a clear understanding of industry trading rules.

Leafy greens, herbs, broccoli, and strawberries are all staples of any grocery retailer’s produce shelf and a key part of the global supply chain, but in the not-too-distant future many of these products are likely to be produced locally, even in the most unpromising conditions.

Retail trends that have taken hold during the pandemic are expected to continue to evolve well into 2022.