BrightFarms opens largest facility in Pennsylvania
BrightFarms opened is largest operation recently, kicking off the first harvest of a 280,000-square-foot facility in Selinsgrove, Pa., with a capacity of two million pounds of fresh produce annually.
BrightFarms representatives were joined by Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding and Giant Food Stores executives Dave Lessard, vice president of fresh, and Matt Novosel, category manager.
“Building this new farm enables us to keep pace with growing demand for local produce in supermarkets in the region,” BrightFarms CEO Steve Platt said at the Jan 28 ceremony, according to a news release. “We are grateful to the state of Pennsylvania and to our loyal grocery store partners, like Giant, who have been at the forefront of the local produce movement.”
Giant stores stock BrightFarms lettuce and other leafy greens.
“At Giant, we pride ourselves on delivering the very best and freshest produce to our customers, and we couldn’t do that without partners like BrightFarms,” John Ruane, senior vice president of merchandising for Giant Food Stores, said in the release. “They share our passion for local produce, people and community, making them the perfect fit for Giant.”
BrightFarms is donating the first harvest from the facility to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank in Harrisburg, according to the release.
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