Irvington, N.Y.-based indoor leafy greens grower BrightFarms opened its latest indoor farm in Hendersonville, N.C.
The 6-acre greenhouse will produce 2 million pounds of lettuce annually for the Southeast region, according to a news release.
The opening of the company’s fifth greenhouse puts it on track to double in size and production in 2021.
The location can quickly serve retailers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
“With 10 years of innovation and growing under our belts, we are ready and able to bring our proven indoor growing model and fresh greens to millions of new consumers in the Carolinas and beyond,” CEO Steve Platt said in the release.
The Southeast has limited options for indoor-grown greens on shelves, but that’s changing as companies expand in the region, including it in the controlled environment agriculture industry, which has seen over $1 billion in capital raised in the past six months alone, according to the release.
Anyone can register online to see the new facility in a May 7 opening celebration.
The event will include North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, and Sam Kass, former White House chef and senior policy advisor for nutrition.
BrightFarms operates greenhouses in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Virginia, with plans to open another in New England later in 2021.
Company leaders are planning to surpass availability in more than 3,500 retail stores in the U.S.
In October, BrightFarms raised more than $100 million in debt and equity capital, led by Cox Enterprises.
