Orlando, Fla.-based Kalera harvested its first lettuce at its largest vertical farm so far, with 77,000 square feet and an annual production capability of more than 10 million heads of lettuce.
The Forest Park, Ga., farm was built in 11 months using the company’s modular building approach, according to a news release.
“Our new Atlanta facility is open and performing in line with our expectations and we are eager to begin offering our local, fresh, safe, sustainable greens to the Georgia market,” CEO Daniel Malechuk said in the release. “Our customers are telling us that there has never been a better time to ensure supply continuity, locally, than now.”
Planting at the Atlanta facility began in early March, and the first harvest began in mid-April.
Kalera is speeding up its schedule faster than originally planned due to strong sales indications in the region from retail and foodservice customers.
Produce distributor Royal Food Service is one of Kalera’s top partners bringing “pick-to-plate” greens to restaurants, hotels, schools and other businesses including Ansley Golf Club, The Ritz-Carlton at Reynolds, Lake Oconee, The Georgia World Congress Center and several restaurants. The lettuce is also at Publix Supermarkets.
“As the former governor of Georgia, I could not be more excited that Kalera’s delicious greens are now available in the Atlanta area,” Sonny Perdue, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, said in the release. Perdue joined Kalera’s board of directors in early 2021.
Kalera operates three growing facilities — two in Orlando and one in Atlanta — and is building facilities in Houston, Denver, Columbus, Seattle, Minnesota and Hawaii.
The company also acquired Vindara, a seed company that uses genomics, machine learning and computational biology along with traditional breeding methods. Vindara seeds are created for high-tech, indoor growing environments.
