Gotham Greens is an American fresh food and indoor farming company founded and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York,[1] that grows local produce year-round in greenhouses, with its lettuces, herbs, salad kits, salad dressings, dips and cooking sauces sold under its brand name.
The company owns and operates 13 hydroponic greenhouse facilities in the United States, totaling more than million square feet.[2] The CEO of the company is Viraj Puri.[3]
History
Gotham Greens was founded by Viraj Puri and Eric Haley in , aiming to bring fresh, local and pesticide-free produce, grown using sustainable methods, to cities across the United States.[4][5] Puri has a sustainable development and environmental engineering background, and Haley has a banking and finance background and focuses on the business side of the venture.[6] The company is headed by Puri, Haley and Jenn Frymark, who joined in to lead greenhouse operations.[6]
After three years of planning, in May Gotham Greens opened its first location, a 15, square-foot greenhouse in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, that was reported to be the first commercial urban rooftop greenhouse in the United States.[7][8] However, commercial greenhouses on rooftops have existed in New York City since at least since , when Terrestris rooftop nursery opened on 60th Street in Manhattan.[9]
By controlling the environment, Gotham Greens can grow up to 30 times more leafy greens per acre than conventional open-field agriculture. Its greenhouses use up to 90% less water and 97% less land in comparison to conventional open-field farming methods.[10][11][12][13]
The company opened its second location in , a 20, square-foot greenhouse, atop a Whole Foods Market in Gowanus, Brooklyn;[14][15] its third in , a 75, square foot greenhouse in Chicago, Illinois, the largest rooftop greenhouse in the world;[16][17] and its fourth location, a 60, square-foot greenhouse on the rooftop of the former Ideal Toy Company factory in Jamaica, Queens, in late [18][19] At the end of , Gotham Greens opened , square-foot greenhouse facilities in Chicago,[16]Edgemere, Maryland,[20] and Providence, Rhode Island.[21] In , the company opened a 30, square-foot greenhouse in Aurora, Colorado.[22][23] In , the company announced it expanded to the West Coast with the opening of a , square-foot greenhouse in Davis, California, and that it became a Certified B Corporation.[24] In , Gotham Greens announced the purchase of FresH2O Growers, based in Stevensburg, Virginia, with a ,square-foot hydroponic greenhouse facility.[25] In , Gotham Greens added an additional , square feet with expansions at existing facilities in Chicago[26] and Providence, Rhode Island, and three new greenhouse facilities in Windsor, Colorado; Monroe, Georgia; and Seagoville, Texas.[27][28]
In , the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) and the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (UCD CAES) entered into a partnership with Gotham Greens to advance research and innovation in the areas of indoor agriculture, advanced greenhouse technology and urban agriculture.[29]
The company was recognized by Whole Foods Market as part of its Top Food Trends for "Ultra Urban Farming" in [30] and "Clean & Conserve: Water Stewardship" in [31]
Funding
In , Gotham Greens raised $87 million series D funding round led by Manna Tree with participation from the Silverman Group,[32] bringing the company's total financing to $ million.[33][34] In , the company raised an additional $ million, led by BMO Impact Investment Fund and Ares Management, bringing its total financing to $ million.[35]
Products
Gotham Greens produce and fresh food products, including pesto sauce and salad dressings, are sold in grocery stores under its brand name, and also sold to restaurants and food service companies.[23] In September , Gotham Greens released a line of plant-based, dairy-free, gluten-free, non-GMO dips.[36] In November , Gotham Greens launched a line of salad kits.[37]
Greenhouse locations
New York City – three facilities (Greenpoint, Brooklyn; Gowanus, Brooklyn; Jamaica, Queens)
Chicago, Illinois – two facilities (Pullman)
Edgemere, Maryland
Providence, Rhode Island
Aurora, Colorado[38]
Davis, California[39]
Stevensburg, Virginia
Windsor, Colorado
Monroe, Georgia
Seagoville, Texas
See also
References
^"Gotham Greens Opens up Another Massive Greenhouse". Greenhouse Growers. February 29,
^Hardy, Wayne. "Gotham Greens' newest greenhouse opens in metro Dallas". . Retrieved 11 June
^Eppich, Johnny (). "Gotham Greens CEO Discusses New Developments and Trends in Leafy Greens Market". Greenhouse Grower. Retrieved
^Donnelly, Tim (). "TEDxBrooklyn Takeaways: 5 Predictions You Need to Know". . Retrieved
^"URBAN FARMING COMPANY GOTHAM GREENS CLOSES $29 MILLION ROUND OF FUNDING". Agritecture. Retrieved 6 November
^ abDrotleff, Laura (June 27, ). "Meet The Three Young Go-Getters Who Created Gotham Greens". Greenhouse Grower.
^Zeveloff, Julie (July 14, ). "Tour The Hi-Tech Farm That's Growing Tons Of Greens On The Roof Of A Brooklyn Warehouse". Business Insider.
^Clendaniel, Morgan (June 28, ). "Gotham Greens: Brooklyn's New High-Tech Rooftop Farm". Fast Company.
^Lyon, Lilla (12 May ). "The City Garden". New York Magazine. Retrieved 6 April
^Halkias, Maria. "Indoor farmer Gotham Greens opens in Seagoville to supply local grocers". . Retrieved 11 June
^Gould, Danielle (January 24, ). "Gotham Greens on Using Hydroponics to Preserve Biodiversity". Food Tech Connect.
^Reiley, Laura (November 19, ). "Indoor farming looks like it could be the answer to feeding a hot and hungry planet. It's not that easy". Washington Post.
^"Whole Foods goes ultra-local with Gotham Greens greenhouse in Brooklyn". Green Biz. April 5,
^Schwartz, Ariel (April 3, ). "This Super Local Brooklyn Whole Foods Will Have A 20,Square-Foot Rooftop Greenhouse". Fast Company.
^ abElejalde-Ruiz, Alexia (November 13, ). "'We see a lot of room for growth': Gotham Greens is making money farming lettuce on the South Side. Now it's adding a 2nd greenhouse in Pullman". Chicago Tribune.
^Peters, Adele (January 4, ). "This Is The World's Largest Rooftop Greenhouse". Fast Company.
^Kern-Jedrychowska, Ewa (February 3, ). "Massive Rooftop Greenhouse Opens on Jamaica Avenue". DNA Info. Archived from the original on August 11, Retrieved November 2,
^Jewell, Nicole (February 26, ). "Gotham Greens opens 60,sq-ft rooftop farm atop former toy company in Hollis, Queens". Inhabitat.
^Cohn, Meredith (December 10, ). "Old Sparrows Point steel mill sprouts new businesses, including a new kind of indoor farm". Baltimore Sun.
^Ciampa, Gail (December 4, ). "Gotham Greens opens its massive Providence greenhouse on Thursday. Here's a look inside". Providence Journal.
^Rubino, Joe (October 23, ). "A new building rising behind Stanley Marketplace in Aurora will be a commercial greenhouse". Denver Post.
^ abKennedy, Caroline (May 21, ). "Gotham Greens' Hydroponic Urban Greenhouse Brings Local, Sustainable Produce to Denver". Magazine.
^Marquis, Christopher. "Gotham Greens Continues Mission Of Social And Environmental Sustainability With Simultaneous West Coast Expansion And B Corp Certification". . Retrieved 6 June
^Hansen, Drew. "Gotham Greens buys Virginia's FresH2O Growers — and its massive hydroponic greenhouse". . Retrieved 6 June
^Hutson, Wendell. "Gotham Greens expanding manufacturing facility at Pullman Park". . Retrieved 6 June
^Sowder, Amy. "Gotham Greens doubles greenhouse footprint with five-state expansion". . Retrieved 6 June
^Petrak, Lynn. "Gotham Greens Bucks an Indoor Growing Trend". . Retrieved 6 June
^Anonymous (). "Gotham Greens Accelerates Growth with West Coast Expansion". College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Retrieved
^"The Next Big Things: Our Top 10 Food Trends for ". . Retrieved 11 June
^"The Next Big Things: Our Top 10 Food Trends for ". . Retrieved 11 June
^"Gotham Greens raises $87m Series D funding for expansion". AFN. Retrieved
^Greens, Gotham. "Gotham Greens Raises $87 Million To Grow Its Indoor Agriculture Footprint, Bringing More Fresh Foods To Shoppers Nationwide". (Press release). Retrieved
^"New York-based indoor ag company Gotham Greens raises $87 million". TechCrunch. 8 December Retrieved
^Shanker, Deena. "Greenhouse Grower Gotham Greens Raises $ Million in Series E". . Retrieved 6 June
^Kurland, Ann. "Gotham Greens dips into dip business". . Retrieved 11 June
^"Gotham Greens launches new salad kit line". . Retrieved 11 June
^Yu, Douglas. "Gotham Greens Opens New Greenhouse In Colorado As Local Businesses Slowly Reopen After COVID Pause". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 27, Retrieved
^Heater, Brian. "Gotham Greens opens a acre farm/research facility in California". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 16,