Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Gotham Greens has opened its largest greenhouse yet, in Chicago.
The 100,000-square-foot facility, built from a portion of the former Ryerson Steel Mill, is the company’s sixth greenhouse for the company and the second one in Chicago’s Historic Pullman Neighborhood. The greenhouse more than doubles the company’s Midwest production to 11 million heads annually, according to a news release.
“Gotham Greens’ expansion in Chicago demonstrates its continued commitment to the city, state and region by creating new jobs and using its high-tech greenhouses to grow high-quality produce, even during the coldest winter months,” Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker said in the release. “Agriculture is a vital component of our state’s economy, and I’m pleased to see opportunities for urban agriculture — like this greenhouse expansion. Investing in innovative solutions will keep Illinois at the forefront for decades to come and help create good jobs that can support a family.”
Local cultivation and regional distribution allow for the company’s leafy greens to be distributed at peak quality, according to the company.
“Since 2009, we’ve worked to transform how and where fresh produce is grown to provide more people with access to local, sustainably-grown produce that is as delicious as it is nutritious,” Viraj Puri, co-Founder and CEO of Gotham Greens, said in the release. “After opening our first greenhouse in Chicago in 2015, we have received tremendous support from retailers, restaurants and shoppers alike who love that we can provide a reliable, year-round supply of fresh produce that’s grown locally.”
Gotham Greens’ leafy greens, herbs, salad dressings and pesto dips are available at a variety of national and local grocery retailers across the Midwest, including Whole Foods Market, Jewel-Osco, Target, Heinen’s Grocery Store, Sunset Foods, Pete’s Fresh Market and through Peapod, according to the company.
Ten years after its 2009 beginning, Gotham Greens will operate 500,000 square feet of greenhouse farms in five U.S. states by the end of the year, according to the release.
The company said it operates six greenhouses in New York City and Chicago and locations are planned in Providence, R.I., Baltimore, Maryland, and Denver.
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