New York-based Greenhouse technology developer, BrightFarms announced an investment of $7.35 million in sustainable greenhouse construction in Virginia.

 

The project broke ground in late April at the location of the former Willow Run Nursery with the goal of transforming old greenhouses into state-of-the-art hydroponic facilities that are currently growing 7,600 tomato plants with an expected output of 150,000 pounds of product.

 

"The mission of BrightFarms is to improve the health of people and of the planet by improving the environmental footprint of the food supply chain," said company CEO Paul Lightfoot at an on-site economic development announcement attended by Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

 

BrightFarms Capitol Greenhouse is also building a second greenhouse that will be a three-acre facility that will have the capacity to produce 1 million pounds of baby greens per year from under a single site under a 150,000 square foot roof. When operating at full capacity, BrightFarms will be the largest sustainable locally grown producer of greens on the entire U.S. East Coast.

 

The online grocery delivery service, Peapod, along with Giant Foods and Martin’s stores in Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, and Virginia will be the exclusive retailers of the agricultural products.

 

Last month Virginia became the second ranked state on the East Coast, surpassing North Carolina, for exporting agricultural goods. Georgia is the top ranked East Coast state exporting about $700 million more product than Virginia, but Virginia has a goal of unseating Georgia as the top agricultural exporter.

 

The tomatoes being grown in the facility will grow to a height of 20 feet and will be fed water and a nutrient solution through a network of tubes. Interior beehives will account for pollination requirements. A second line is being planned to pump CO2 into the greenhouses to boost plant growth, and the operation plans to use beneficial insects to controls pest populations.

 

Today, more than half of the wholesale costs of a box of supermarket lettuce is relegated to transportation costs according to Mr. Lightfoot, and a major goal of BrightFarms is to grow produce that is free of GMOs and pesticides and which will eliminate billions of miles of transport through being locally sourced.

 

"By relying on produce shipped in, we aren’t just leaving an economic opportunity on the table, we end up with produce that’s not fresh, in some cases not safe. It often doesn’t taste good and it’s not sustainable for the environment," Lightfoot said. "But times, they’re changing. Consumer demand for local produce is growing exponentially, and for good reason. They recognize long-distance produce can hurt the environment and compromise freshness, quality and taste. The BrightFarms Capitol Greenhouse is a huge step in the right direction."