Saying that Gotham Greens wants to be “a catalyst for change” by attracting new agriculture related businesses to Solano County, CEO Viraj Puri expanded on his rationale for expanding the firm’s U.S. network of commercial-grade indoor farming facilities to the West Coast at a 10-acre site along Interstate 80 near UC Davis.
Puri’s comments came during his keynote presentation at the Solano Economic Development Corporation virtual annual meeting Thursday.
He also announced that construction is well underway for the 100,000-square-foot greenhouse, and it is estimated to open during the third quarter this year. Plans were announced in early March.
“We’re reimagining the way fresh produce is grown and delivered,” he said. “We wanted to come here so we could collaborate with UC Davis and its extensive agriculture research and education program, and to be closer to seed companies, automation firms, big data organizations and others working to advance R&D technology, create forward-looking techniques and achieve greater efficiencies for farming as one of the world’s oldest professions.”
He said raising produce profitably, while coping with concerns such as land use, water shortages, climate change and the welfare of available labor are part of the mix driving demand for eco-friendly, innovative and sustainable farming solutions.
Gotham Greens state-of-the-art greenhouses are automated to provide a computer-controlled environment ideal for producing consistent high yields regardless of the season, while making its produce immune to drought, frost and other adverse weather conditions.
According to Puri, it only takes three gallons of water for Gotham Greens to grow a head of lettuce in its hydroponic production facilities, versus 40 gallons per head grown in fields. Some 70% of irrigation water used by Gotham Greens is recaptured and recycled.
“We’re also using less energy, while reducing our carbon footprint, and have shortened land miles from our greenhouses to food stores,” Puri said. “With traditional farming, it takes seven to 10 days for lettuce to get from fields in Salinas, California and Yuma, Arizona to destinations in the Midwest and East, followed by a brief four- to five-day shelf life. These two growing locations account for 90% of head and leaf lettuce grown in the U.S. With our decentralized supply chain model that positions production centers closer to major markets, we can have our lettuce on grocery shelves in 24 hours.”
Puri revised an early estimate of staff requirements to 50 full-time onsite workers, including high-tech plant scientists, manufacturing and operations employees, along with finance, resources and food handling personnel.
When the Solano greenhouse complex is completed, Gotham Greens will have 9 large-scale greenhouse complexes located in six states — New York, Illinois, Rhode Island, Maryland, Colorado and California — with approximately 600,000 square feet of growing space nationwide and 400 employees.
The 11-year-old company has a community and educational relations program providing food and information on how to grow it for future generations, and especially for those in need.
“For more than a decade, we have been investing in local communities to reduce food insecurity by donating 300,000 pounds of our produce to food banks and pantries, as well as providing 25,000 seedlings for school and community garden projects. Most people in urban areas are disconnected from agriculture and don’t get a chance to see a farm or how their food is grown. Our greenhouses provide a way to bring visitors, educators and students inside to learn how we do it,” Puri said.
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March 27, 2021 at 10:16PM
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Gotham Greens says large Solano County fresh-produce greenhouse to open in Q3 - North Bay Business Journal
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