As the footprint for indoor-grown produce continues to expand across the country and around the globe, Soli Organic Inc., said it plans to build its newest farm in Marysville, Wash.
The 130,000-square-foot farm will supply 5 million pounds of USDA-certified organic herbs and leafy greens each year and support 150 local jobs in the Seattle area, according to a news release.
Formerly Shenandoah Growers, the Virginia-based indoor farming company rebranded as Soli Organic in late October last year. The soil-based, controlled-environment agriculture company provides 100% USDA-certified organic produce to more than 20,000 retail stores nationwide. The company says its “‘biology first, technology to scale’ philosophy flips the typical high-tech controlled-environment agriculture script.”
This results in the production of indoor-grown, organic produce at a lower price point — comparable to conventional produce pricing, the company said in the release.
“This is an incredibly exciting time for Soli Organic. We’re thrilled to be expanding into the Pacific Northwest region as our company seeks to ensure that consumers in the Seattle area and broader Pacific Northwest region have access to high-quality, indoor-grown organic produce that is not only affordable, but sustainably produced,” Matt Ryan, Soli Organic CEO, said in the release. “This next phase of expansion for Soli Organic will advance our efforts to scale and grow the company while maintaining our strong track record of financial performance.”
Unlike hydroponic or aeroponic indoor farms, Soli Organics grows plants in living soil. Using a soil-based substrate enables Soli’s closed-loop nutrient regeneration technology, which produces nitrogen naturally, thereby eliminating the need for synthetic fertilizers, the company said in the release.
Avoiding synthetic fertilizers serves the dual purpose of supporting Soli Organic’s USDA-certified organic status and shielding the grower from cost spikes in synthetic fertilizer, the company said.
Rapid growth plan
Expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2023, the Marysville facility is the second of eight new farms Soli Organic intends to build in the near term, in addition to seven facilities already in operation, said the company, which aims to have a total of 15 soil-based indoor farms in strategic locations across the U.S. This is part of a plan to shift 90% of its production indoors.
Soli Organic recently struck a $120 million agreement with the real estate development firm Decennial Group. The agreement will finance construction of three of the company’s planned eight new facilities.
In August 2021, Soli Organic broke ground on the first of the three facilities to be financed through this agreement. The facility is located in Anderson County, S.C. The 100,000-square-foot facility is anticipated to be operational by the second quarter of 2022. Soli said in the release that it intends to announce the locations of the two additional farms financed through this agreement in the near future.
In other news, Soli Organic CEO Matt Ryan is set to lead a keynote address for the 9th annual Indoor Ag-Con, Feb. 28 – March 1, at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas. During his keynote presentation on March 1, Ryan will share more about his company’s plans to bring nature indoors with its soil-based, certified organic biofarms.
