New York-based Gotham Greens, a Certified B Corp. and indoor, hydroponic farm company, will double the size of its greenhouse capacity from 600,000 square feet to more than 1.2 million square feet in 2022.
Greenhouse facilities are being built in near Dallas in Seagoville, Texas; near Atlanta in Monroe, Ga.; and near Denver in Windsor, Colo., according to a news release. The firm is expanding existing greenhouses in Chicago and Providence, R.I.
Watch Editor Amy Sowder tour the first Gotham Greens greenhouse with the CEO.
When these projects are complete, Gotham Greens will own and operate 12 high-tech, climate-controlled hydroponic greenhouses across eight states, joining its existing greenhouse network in New York, Rhode Island, Maryland, Illinois, Colorado and California.
“Gotham Greens is incredibly excited to further expand our greenhouse operations across the country, including to the South for the very first time,” Viraj Puri, cofounder and CEO of Gotham Greens, said in the release.
The national brand sells sustainably grown salad greens and herbs, plus plant-based dressings, dips and cooking sauces for retail and foodservice distribution.
Learn more about salads and salad mixes.
“Our goal is to deliver Gotham Greens’ fresh produce within a day’s drive from our greenhouses to 90% of consumers across the U.S., and these strategic greenhouse expansion projects bring us closer to this milestone,” he said.
Gotham Greens has achieved 28% year-over-year growth compared to 1% growth year-over-year for the total pre-packaged salads and lettuce categories), according to the release and Nielsen data for the last 52 weeks ending Feb. 26.
Key retail partnership accounts are growing, including Whole Foods Market, The Kroger Co., Albertsons Cos. and Sprouts Farmers Market.
At press time, Gotham Greens sells its products in about 3,000 stores across 45 states.
As part of its sustainability strategy, Gotham Greens is expanding its operations into regions most impacted by the effects of climate change.
Learn more about the company becoming a Certified B Corp.
In California, where Gotham Greens recently opened a greenhouse in 2021, more than 37 million people are affected by drought with 87% of the state classified as “Severe” or “Extreme Drought,” according to Drought.gov in the release. The greenhouses are powered by 100% renewable electricity and have systems that significantly reduce traditional water and land use.
The proximity of Gotham Greens’ greenhouses to key metropolitan markets is another foundational aspect to the sustainability mission. It eliminates the need for long-distance refrigerated transportation while improving product quality and shelf life, which also can reduce food waste.
