Shenandoah Growers hires Tessa Pocock as chief science officer

Rockingham, Va.-based Shenandoah Growers Inc. hired Tessa Pocock as chief science officer following the transition of Robert Hoffman to chief science officer emiritus.

The indoor agtech company grows, packages, sells and delivers U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic herbs and leafy greens to more than 18,000 retailers nationwide, according to a news release.

Pocock will report to chief technology officer Ulf Jönsson and serve on the company’s executive leadership team. 
Pocock brings decades of experience in plant lighting and physiological research as well as indoor agricultural management to Shenandoah Growers. She has held a variety of roles in academia and in the controlled environment agriculture sector, most recently as director of lighting optimization at Plenty. Pocock holds a doctorate degree in environmental stress biology and master’s degrees in plant biochemistry from Western University (formerly, The University of Western Ontario).
“Tessa is widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost lighting and plant biology experts. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome her to our proven management team of biologists, technologists and operators,” company president Philip Karp said in the release.
Pocock and Jönsson, an agronomy and horticulture technology expert, have set a research, development and implementation agenda for Shenandoah Growers. Priorities include continuing to refine plant-intelligent lighting algorithms and technology to further reduce unit costs and boost energy efficiency; commercializing new crops to reach underserved markets; and continuing to optimize and expand the company’s IP portfolio, including its proprietary closed loop nutrient regeneration technology for efficient, low-cost and organic nitrogen for plants.

This proprietary technology is key to unlocking the company’s ability to deliver organic, indoor-grown produce at scale. 
“I was attracted to the company’s ‘biology first, technology to scale’ mentality, and look forward to working closely with the team…” Pocock said in the release.

The company has recently hired Cameron Geiger as chief operating officer. Geiger brings decades of senior experience in technology and end-to-end supply chain roles.
Under the That’s Tasty brand, Shenandoah Growers provides USDA-organic, regionally grown herbs and greens. Launched in 2017, the product line includes living organic herb plants, fresh-cut herbs, herb purees, lettuces and microgreens.