March 8, 2021

By Lynda Kiernan, Global AgInvesting Media

Boston-based Green City Growers (GCG) began in 2008 with a mission to create a more environmentally sustainable urban food system that can produce more nutrient-dense foods by providing homeowners with the infrastructure, tools, and education to grow their own produce employing organic, regenerative, and pesticide-free production practices. 

As a certified benefit corporation tasked with combining bottom-line success with environmental and social responsibility, GCG quickly expanded to include schools, non-profits, corporate clients, and real estate companies.

By the spring of 2009, the company forged long-standing partnerships with Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare and B.good restaurants, and within a few years began managing the largest rooftop farm in New England on top of the Whole Foods Market in Lynnfield, Massachusetts.

By 2015 GCG began managing the rooftop farm at Fenway Park for the Boston Red Sox, and started programs with the Boys and Girls Club of Boston and Boston Properties, and implemented comprehensive growing programs with the Boston Public School system.

Today the company also offers consulting and design services, as well as workshops and virtual engagement opportunities. So far, it has installed hundreds of garden spaces and services more than 150 unique farm and garden locations from small raised beds, to rooftop farms throughout New England, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York.

“The business model is the subscription service – we’re a custom service provider for food production systems, really,” Chris Grallert, president, Green City Growers, explained to GAI News. 

“It doesn’t have some of the intrigue that maybe some of the agtech vertical farming operations have, but we have a business model that’s working, and its EBIDTA in the black.”

Through its business, GCG has created a practical and profitable model for distributed food production that is scalable, impactful, and focused on quality – an achievement that has brought the company together with Tanimura & Antle – an employee-owned, innovative producer of premium quality produce that has acquired a majority stake in the company.

“Tanimura & Antle is a family owned agricultural enterprise,” explained Grallert, “with 46,000 acres of production throughout the United States – predominantly in California and the Southwest, and also some greenhouse facilities and they’re shipping throughout the U.S. and Canada, but also exporting to Europe and Asia.”

Since its founding in 1982, Tanimura & Antle families have created a partnership based on equality, trust, and ownership that has become a leading innovator in how food is produced and delivered.

This commitment was manifest in 2017 when Tanimura & Antle family owners sold a portion of the company to their employees at no cost.

“The term partnership is ingrained in our culture,” said Scott Grabau, president and CEO, Tanimura & Antle. “The Tanimura and Antle families have always considered our employees as our greatest asset.  The partnership approach to business is how we treat our employees, customers and vendors.”

Grallert told GAI News that this philosophy runs deep with both companies, “They’re real innovators in the supply chain. There’s also alignment in our philosophies around putting the employees first. And we’re going to be an employee-owned stock option company, as they are.”

Together, the merger of these two companies is based on a common commitment to provide communities, organizations, and individuals with a hands-on educational experience to increase awareness and build engagement about where food comes from.

GCG will assist Tanimura & Antle by reaching people of all ages and local communities that are not ordinarily given the opportunity to connect with their food, while strengthening supply chains through supplemental, independent, healthy food sources.

“Our investment in Green City Growers is our next level of engagement to continue our efforts to impact the lives of all,” said Grabau. “Our philosophy has always been a learning by doing approach.  By reaching children, charitable organizations, corporations, wellness and community outreach programs, we not only can have a strong impact on promoting a healthy lifestyle.”

“This partnership and acquisition will also provide our retail and foodservice partners their own opportunity to have an impact in the communities they serve by partnering with us on these programs.”

For GCG, this partnership will give the company the fodder it needs to achieve its strategic growth goals, and beyond.

“When I founded the company, the vision was always to grow and create more opportunities for people to engage in food production nation-wide,” said Jessie Banhazl, founder, Green City Growers. “This acquisition will allow us to grow beyond my wildest dreams, exponentially increasing the company’s impact.”

“I am personally ready to move on and believe that my long-time business partner, Chris Grallert, and Tanimura & Antle will continue my vision and be able to impact people’s lives at a national level in each of the communities they begin to expand to.”

As with all businesses, COVID-19 has influenced the company’s plans, however, this year, the company is set to expand into North Carolina, followed by Texas and Kentucky, according to Grallert. But what is the longer term vision for GCG?

Grallert told GAI News, “The space that we will be in in five years is going to continue to have the impact and social and community piece, which is non-profit, schools, hospitals, and other public institutions, then the other portion of our business will continue to grow for commercial which is commercial real estate, landlords, campuses, senior living facilities, sporting arenas, supermarkets, and restaurants.”

“With a solid business foundation in our proven and robust soil growing technologies, we can now thoughtfully look into how we can expand our custom services in other areas of urban agriculture including vertical and other indoor technologies,” said Grallert.

“One-hundred and fifty years ago, all of humanity had been involved in food production at some capacity.  It is ingrained in our genetics and is why, when given an opportunity, people feel the way they feel when they visit a farm or have a home garden.  We gratefully thank Jessie and all the members of our team, past and present, of setting the foundation for us to take the next steps in Green City Growers growth.”

– Lynda Kiernan is editor with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and  Agtech Intel News, and HighQuest Group’s Oilseed & Grain News. She is also a contributor to the GAI Gazette. She can be reached at lkiernan@globalaginvesting.com.