In a social media post, indoor vertical farming company Plenty said it closed its Compton, Calif., leafy greens farm, part of a strategic decision to focus on strawberries.
“The rising cost of doing business in California, including climbing energy prices, made operating here challenging,” the company said in the post. “Closing this chapter was not a decision we made lightly, but it was a necessary step as we shift our focus to strawberries.”
In the post, the company said it was a bittersweet moment following the opening and first planting in its Richmond, Va., strawberry farm. The company said its Compton farm was the first for the business and helped the company solve challenges in agriculture and engineering.
“Our Compton team has worked tirelessly to overcome the inevitable challenges of a first instance farm,” the company said. “They brought agriculture back to Compton, proving the positive impact vertical farming can have on communities.”
Plenty said in the post that it thinks vertically-farmed strawberries provide a supply gap of locally-grown produce with peak-season flavor and a premium price.
“While most vertical farms are limited to lettuces, Plenty spent the past decade designing a modular growing system flexible enough to support a wide variety of crops,” the company said. “That advanced technology, coupled with our close partnerships, make Plenty uniquely positioned to succeed in strawberries.”
