Gotham Greens Plans to Double Its Greenhouse Capacity in 2022

Indoor agriculture company Gotham Greens announced earlier this week its plans to double the size of its total U.S. greenhouse capacity from 600,000 square feet to over 1.2 million square feet by the end of this year.

The Brooklyn-based company, which describes itself as a “fresh-food company farming with the future in mind,” was a pioneer in what’s become known as “urban agriculture” when it launched in 2011. The competition in the category has become fierce in the years since, with Square Roots, Bowery Farming, Plenty, Brightfarms and Little Leaf Farms all also promising greenhouse-grown, more sustainable produce.

In 2020, Gotham Greens raised $87 million in equity and debt capital and widened its portfolio with a range of dressings, marinades, and dips sold at Whole Foods Market and Sprouts. As of this year, Gotham Greens sells its salad greens, herbs, salad dressings, dips and cooking sauces in approximately 3,000 stores across 45 states, and its regional partnerships with key accounts such as Whole Foods Market and The Kroger Co. continue to grow.

Now, the 11-year-old company is developing new state-of-the-art greenhouse facilities in Seagoville, Texas, Monroe, Georgia, and Windsor, Colorado in addition to expanding its existing greenhouses in Chicago and Providence, Rhode Island to service more accounts. Expansion is key for the brand in order to maintain its more sustainable supply chain while still reaching new consumers.

Gotham Greens purposefully chose to expand its operations into regions impacted by the effects of climate change, such as California, according to the release. By using hydroponic growing systems in its 100% renewable electricity-powered greenhouses, Gotham Greens’ farms reportedly use up to 95% less water and 97% less land than conventional farming.

“Gotham Greens is incredibly excited to further expand our greenhouse operations across the country, including to the south for the first time,”Gotham Greens CEO and Co-Founder Viraj Puri said in a press release. “Building on the continued growth and momentum that Gotham Greens has sustained over the past several years, we are proud to bring our national brand of sustainably grown salad greens and herbs, plus our versatile, plant-based dressings, dips and cooking sauces to more consumers across the country and expand our retail and foodservice distribution in existing markets.”

Once the expansion is complete, Gotham Greens will own and operate 12 high-tech, climate-controlled hydroponic greenhouses across the country. Puri said the new greenhouses will enable the company to meet the “steady increase in consumer demand for greenhouse-grown produce.” According to data from Nielsen, Gotham Greens achieved 28% year-over growth in the 52 weeks ending February 26, 2022.

Additionally, Gotham Greens hopes to deliver its fresh produce within a day’s drive from its greenhouses to 90% of consumers across the U.S. in an effort to eliminate the need for long-distance refrigerated transportation and improve product quality and shelf life.

“Our goal is to deliver Gotham Greens’ fresh produce within a days’ drive from our greenhouses to 90% of consumers across the U.S., and these strategic greenhouse expansion projects bring us closer to this milestone,” said Puri in the release.

The new greenhouses will join Gotham Greens’ existing greenhouse network in New York, Rhode Island, Maryland, Illinois, Colorado and California.