BrightFarms broke ground on a new 280,000 sq. foot hydroponic greenhouse in Hendersonville County, North Carolina. Once complete, the facility will be the largest greenhouse for leafy greens in the state.
The new greenhouse will add to BrightFarms’ growing network of local, sustainable greenhouse farms that will reach thousands of supermarkets between Maine and Georgia. BrightFarms chose the Asheville region for its central location to leading retailers in the Southeast. The company has existing greenhouse farms in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois.
Abby Prior, SVP Sales & Marketing at BrightFarms, credits the expansion to demand from existing customers: “We have longstanding relationships with customers that have a strong footprint in North Carolina and the surrounding states,” said Prior. “With more consumers seeking out clean, safe and responsibly grown produce, our expansion into the state will allow us to fill a crucial demand for retailers.”
BrightFarms plans to begin shipping from its Hendersonville greenhouse in early 2021. The farm will grow the company’s core lineup of products, including: Spinach, Spring Mix, Arugula, Sunny Crunch and Baby Butter. As one of the few companies growing local spinach in the controlled environment sector, BrightFarms is anticipating record demand for its best-selling local baby spinach.
Steve Platt, BrightFarms CEO, also weighed in on the expansion: “We are thrilled to bring our model of fresh, pesticide-free, and sustainable greens to the Carolinas. The region is one of the fastest growing population centers in the U.S. and this greenhouse will accelerate our growth next year.” said Platt.
For more information:
BrightFarms
www.brightfarms.com