US salad grower BrightFarms has announced plans to build a sustainable greenhouse farm in Abilene, Texas, to meet growing consumer demand for local produce. It will be the company’s fifth facility in the US and first in Texas.
The 195,000ft2 farm will provide locally grown salad greens and herbs that are pesticide-free and non-GMO to supermarkets in the region from early 2019.
It will use an estimated 80 per cent less water, 90 per cent less land and 95 per cent less shipping fuel than West Coast salad farming operations, according to BrightFarms.
The company cited the Food Marketing Institute’s 2017Power of Produce report, which shows that when quality, appearance and price are equivalent, 60 per cent of consumers chose local over organic.
“Meeting the demand for local produce is a challenge for grocery retailers,” said Paul Lightfoot, CEO of BrightFarms.
“We are solving this problem by building commercial scale year-round local farms and delivering the freshest and most flavourful baby greens and herbs to our customers within 24 hours of harvest.
“Texas and the City of Abilene have welcomed us with open arms, and we couldn’t be more excited to serve this region.”
The new facility will produce a range of packaged salad greens including spring mix, spinach, baby kale, romaine, arugula and several new products that are under development.
