Greenhouse company Great Lakes Growers, Burton, Ohio, recently broke ground on a 100,000-square-foot expansion that will boost production capacity to 12 million heads of leafy greens.
The expansion will bring the company’s capacity to 260,000 square feet, according to a news release.
“This most recent expansion project is a real testament to the acceptance of our new fresh cut salad line at retailers across the Midwest and the continued adoption of our foodservice lines,” John Bonner, owner and CEO, said in the release.
The company’s customer roster has grown, and that’s a trend Bonner expects to continue as the new construction project is completed in November.
“We are expanding our offering to match that demand and we expect exponential growth to continue over the next half decade and probably well beyond that,” he said in the release.
An 80,000-square-foot expansion in 2019 included an investment in water sanitation and monitoring technology, according to the release, and the new construction includes further automation.
“We also will now be able to streamline our cooling, harvesting and packing processes to further mitigate the risk of foodborne illness to our customers while continuing to deliver the freshest produce in the Midwest,” Bonner said in the release.
The company has plans to expand the Ohio facility to 10 acres, starting with construction late this year.
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