On behalf of Gov. Ralph Northam, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring announced AeroFarms will build its 10th and largest indoor farming operation in Cane Creek Centre, a joint industrial park for the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County. Named in November as one of Time magazine’s 100 Best Inventions, the company will invest $42 million and create 92 jobs.
“We are excited to expand to Virginia, an incredible state with a strong farming tradition,” said David Rosenberg, Co-Founder and CEO of AeroFarms. “We are also excited about the future collaboration opportunities with the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research to build on our work with Fortune 100 companies to solve broader ag-related supply chain issues.”
The new, 150,000-square-foot facility will be AeroFarms’ largest, most sophisticated indoor vertical farm to date. The company uses proprietary aeroponic growing technology to produce highly flavorful leafy greens at a rate 390 times more productive than field-grown plants.
Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring (center) presented a Virginia state flag as a welcome to AeroFarms (left to right) Managing Director Sam Schatz, CEO David Rosenberg and Chief Marketing Officer Marc Oshima.
“The mission of this leading commercial indoor farming provider aligns very closely with the work our Applied Research division is doing to create sustainable agricultural solutions,” said Mark Gignac, Executive Director of the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR). “We look forward to helping support the work and future success of this reputable innovator of agriculture, our Commonwealth’s top private industry.”
Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Newark, N.J., AeroFarms is committed to growing the best plants possible with significantly less water and no pesticides, while offering extremely high levels of food safety. By
hiring locally and creating year-round employment, AeroFarms is able to grow all year to nourish its communities with high-quality produce that delivers optimal nutrition and flavor.
“AeroFarms is a leader in agricultural innovation with farming technologies that make high-quality, local produce available to more communities,” said Gov. Northam. “We are bringing capital investment and economic opportunity to rural Virginia by recruiting innovative companies like AeroFarms.”
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Pittsylvania County, the City of Danville and the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance to secure the project for Virginia.
AeroFarms shared a tasting of Dream Greens, their local retail
brand for sweet baby kale, peppery arugula, spicy ruby streaks,
baby watercress, and other baby greens and microgreens.
