AeroFarms transitions N.J. farm to R&D facility
AeroFarms, a Certified B Corporation specializing in indoor vertical farming, is transforming its commercial farm in Newark, N.J., to exclusively handle R&D operations.
Combined with another research and engineering prototyping facility in Newark, AeroFarms will now have over 100,000 square feet of dedicated R&D space to advance projects on next-generation crops and indoor vertical farming solutions, according to a news release.
To make this happen in the next few months, AeroFarms will transfer its New Jersey commercial production to its commercial farm in Danville, Va., which is expanding rapidly to meet increased consumer demand.
Related news: AeroFarms' Virginia expansion could reach 1,000 retailers in 1-day drive
AeroFarms is the No. 1 brand nationwide at retail for microgreens, according to the release, which cited Nielsen data on microgreen SKUs for the last 52 weeks ending Feb. 25.
“AeroFarms is known for its plant science and R&D expertise, and we are fielding so many opportunities to work on future crops to expand our offerings for customers,” AeroFarms co-founder and CEO David Rosenberg said in the release.
This focus on research and development farms at the company’s headquarters builds on the recent opening of its R&D indoor vertical farm, AgX, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, which garnered more than half a billion media impressions and increased demand from interested partners, he said.
AeroFarms has a long history of both public and private R&D partnerships to help drive the broader agriculture industry forward, according to the release.
Today, AeroFarms works closely with the USDA, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, Hortifrut, Cargill, AB InBev, Nokia Bell Labs, Silal Foods and others, working on longer term solutions for challenges in agriculture.
In Danville, AeroFarms continues to scale its commercial growing to meet increasing customer demand from key partners like Ahold Delhaize, Amazon Fresh, Compass Group, FreshDirect, Harris Teeter, HMart, Marcus BP, Momofuku Noodle Bars, ShopRite, The Fresh Market, Walmart, Weee! and Whole Foods Market.
Founded in 2004, AeroFarms was named one of the “World’s Most Innovative Companies” by Fast Company two years in a row and one of Time magazine’s “Best Inventions in Food.”
