BrightFarms expands nationally with new greenhouses in three states

Salad greens grower BrightFarms, Irvington, N.Y., is expanding with three greenhouse farms in Massachusetts, New York and North Carolina, breaking ground in each location by the end of 2019 to start production in spring 2020.

Each greenhouse will be 280,000 square feet, sit on 20 acres and should create about 55 full-time jobs with competitive wages and benefits, according to a news release.

The new greenhouses are part of BrightFarm’s expansion across the Mid-Atlantic and into the South. The company operates greenhouses in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, supplying major retailers in a dozen major metro markets.

To quickly meet retailer demand for locally grown produce, BrightFarms also will explore acquisitions and partnerships with existing greenhouse growers in each of the new markets, according to the release.

“Consumers are placing high demand for locally grown, fresh salads. With local greenhouses across the Mid-Atlantic and growing, BrightFarms is well positioned to meet these demands for national retailers,” BrightFarms CEO Paul Lightfoot said in the news release.

The three new greenhouses should each produce more than 2 million pounds annually of fresh, leafy salad greens and herbs while using an estimated 80% less water, 90% less land and 95% less shipping fuel than West Coast farms, according to the release.

The expansion follows a successful Series D financing of $55 million and the addition of its new chief financial officer, Steve Campione, according to the release.