Debut of the world's largest aeroponic smart farm

Danville, Virginia - AeroFarms, a Certified B Corporation and world leader in indoor vertical farming, debuts AeroFarms Danville, its newest cutting-edge indoor vertical farm, growing award-winning leafy greens that are prized for their elevated flavor by top chefs and home makers alike.

Joined by Matthew Lohr, Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, Congressman Good and elected officials from Virginia and the city of Danville and Pittsylvania County, the AeroFarms Team celebrated the official Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening of AeroFarms Danville to meet increased customer demand.

"Rising transportation costs and droughts in the western United States will mean East Coast states like Virginia must reorient our supply chain for fresh produce to more local suppliers. While painful, this situation also creates an important opportunity for the Commonwealth to become a national leader in the fast-growing indoor farming industry," said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr. "Continued success in recruiting and supporting the growth of these companies can bring economic opportunity to all corners of the Commonwealth, while also supplying fresh, safe, and sustainable food to our citizens and neighbors. Today's announcement is an important step on the pathway to a bright future of food security and prosperity for all Virginians."

"This Grand Opening is an incredible milestone for AeroFarms as we scale our company to meet increased customer demand both here in the United States and globally," said David Rosenberg, Co-Founder and CEO of AeroFarms. "We have amazing people aligned with our mission and focused on growing a distinctive, flavorful product that our customers love. AeroFarms Danville will help us bring safe, pesticide-free, great-tasting products to even more people."

AeroFarms is a purpose-driven company, with a mission to grow the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity. AeroFarms has been leading the way to elevate agriculture for people and the planet, helping address climate change by enabling local production with no pesticides ever to grow safe, nutritious, and delicious food all year round. AeroFarms is both a change-the-world technology company and an award-winning brand that is reimagining the way food is grown and celebrating its full FlavorSpectrum™ of flavorful possibilities.

Winning on flavor, AeroFarms is the number one retail brand for both unit and dollar sales in the United States for microgreens according to Nielsen syndicated data*, and AeroFarms leafy greens can be found at major retailers like Ahold Delhaize, Amazon Fresh, Harris Teeter, The Fresh Market, Walmart, Whole Foods Market, and more.

AeroFarms Leafy Greens Key Benefits: 

• Bursting with Flavor
• No Pesticides Ever
• Sustainably Grown Indoors

AeroFarms leafy greens are safely grown indoors in state-of-the art commercial indoor vertical farms that are certified for USDA Good Agricultural Practices, SQF Level 2 Good Manufacturing Practices, Non-GMO Project Verification, OU Kosher, and the industry-leading CEA Food Safety Seal that was developed to differentiate indoor clean growing practices from the traditional challenges in the field. AeroFarms leafy greens are completely pesticide free and are ready-to-eat without any need to wash, providing a major benefit to customers looking for safety and convenience.

This Ribbon Cutting marks the opening of the world's largest aeroponic smart farm that utilizes AeroFarms proprietary indoor vertical farming technology to grow more plants at the highest productivity per square feet with the least amount of natural resources, continuing AeroFarms legacy of continuous improvement and innovation. The AeroFarms aeroponic advantage provides the perfect, nutrient-rich mist targeted right at the roots of the plants for optimized efficiency and better water management, using up to 95% less water than field farming. AeroFarms Danville introduces a state-of-the-art water recapture process for even more water savings. In addition to the benefits to the environment, AeroFarms Danville will also add 158 jobs to the local economy while bringing fresh, safe, delicious greens to more communities year-round.

AeroFarms Danville Key Benefits:

• Capable of serving over 50 million people within a day's drive

• Capable of growing over 3 million pounds of leafy greens annually
• Hands-free farming with end-to-end automation from seeding to growing to harvesting to packaging
• Over 50% water savings and over 50% improvement in LED efficiency through proprietary design versus previous farm

The Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening concluded with an inaugural First Bite, led by Secretary Lohr. The First Bite included a handful of delicious AeroFarms Micro Broccoli, an earthy microgreen with a balanced finish and a boost of nutrients, that the Whole Foods Market recognized as one of their Top Trends for 2022.

The new facility is located in Cane Creek Centre, which is a joint industrial park owned by the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission worked with Pittsylvania County, the City of Danville, and the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance to fund a part of the AeroFarms project. The company has obtained assistance from Virginia Tech and Danville's Institute for Advanced Learning and Research for workforce development assistance and plant testing. AeroFarms also qualifies for state benefits from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development's Virginia Enterprise Zone Program. Funding and services to support the company's job creation are provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

About AeroFarms: 

Since 2004, AeroFarms has been leading the way for indoor vertical farming and championing transformational innovation for agriculture. On a mission to grow the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity, AeroFarms is a Certified B Corporation with global headquarters in Newark, New Jersey. Named one of the World's Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company two years in a row and one of TIME's Best Inventions in Food, AeroFarms patented, award-winning indoor vertical farming technology provides the perfect conditions for healthy plants to thrive, taking agriculture to a new level of precision, food safety, and productivity while using up to 95% less water and no pesticides ever versus traditional field farming. AeroFarms enables local production to safely grow all year round, using vertical farming for elevated flavor.™ Its products can be found at major selling partners like Ahold Delhaize, Amazon Fresh, Baldor Specialty Food, Compass Group, Harris Teeter, Marcus BP, Momofuku Noodle Bars, ShopRite, The Fresh Market, Walmart, and Whole Foods Market. In addition, through its proprietary growing technology platform, AeroFarms has grown over 550 varieties of plants and has developed multi-year strategic partnerships ranging from government to major Fortune 500 companies to help uniquely solve agriculture supply chain needs. For additional information, visit: https://aerofarms.com/.

Photo 1: AeroFarms celebrates the Grand Opening of AeroFarms Danville alongside Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr, Congressman Bob Good, City of Danville Mayor Alonzo Jones, Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors Chairman Vic Ingram, the President and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers Jay Timmons and more.

Photo 2: AeroFarms team members stand in front of AeroFarms Danville, the world's largest aeroponic smart farm.

*Source: Nielsen [Microgreen SKUs] Total US xAOC 52-weeks ending 13-Aug-2022

Source: AeroFarms