| Industry | Agriculture |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2004 in Finger Lakes, New York, U.S. |
| Founder |
|
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
| Products | Aeroponic technology |
| Website | aerofarms |
AeroFarms is a sustainable indoor agriculture company based in Danville, VA [1] and uses a patented aeroponic growing system to grow produce.
AeroFarms began in 2004 in the Finger Lakes area of New York. In 2015, the company relocated its headquarters to Newark, New Jersey. The company was co-founded by CEO David Rosenberg, [2] CMO Marc Oshima, and CSO (chief scientific officer) Edward Harwood. [3]
In 2015, AeroFarms started a growing space in a 30,000 square-foot former paintball and laser tag arena in Newark. [4]
In September 2016, the AeroFarms Global Headquarters opened in a 70,000 square-foot facility in Newark, which is the largest indoor vertical farm in the world based on annual growing capacity. [5] The farm was built in a 75-year-old former steel mill facility and has the capacity to produce up to two million pounds of leafy greens per year. [6]
AeroFarms opened their latest farm in Danville, VA in 2022 where it is now headquartered.
On June 8, 2023, AeroFarms filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. [7] AeroFarms emerged from its bankruptcy in September 2023, and stated that it was once again nearing profitability. The company has ceased spending on all of its projects excluding its Danville farm as part of its post-bankruptcy turnaround plan. [8]
AeroFarms uses its proprietary aeroponic technology to grow microgreens. Their team of plant scientists, nutritionists, and culinary experts select varietals of microgreens and perfect them in their indoor vertical farms to bring customers flavorful greens packed with nutrients - and all mapped along their signature FlavorSpectrum™. AeroFarms microgreens are sold nation-wide at Whole Foods Market, The Fresh Market, HEB and more.
Laser tag is a recreational shooting sport where participants use infrared-emitting light guns to tag designated targets. Infrared-sensitive signaling devices are commonly worn by each player to register hits and are sometimes integrated within the arena in which the game is played.
Aeroponics is the process of cultivating plants in an air or mist environment, eliminating the need for soil or an aggregate medium. The term "aeroponic" originates from the Greek words aer ("air") and ponos ("work"). It falls under the category of hydroponics, as water is employed in aeroponics to deliver nutrients to the plants.
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Microgreens are vegetable greens harvested just after the cotyledon leaves have developed with one set of true leaves. They are used as a visual, flavor and texture enhancement. Microgreens are used to add sweetness and spiciness to foods. Microgreens are smaller than "baby greens" because they are harvested soon after sprouting, rather than after the plant has matured to produce multiple leaves.
Perdue Farms is the parent company of Perdue Foods and Perdue AgriBusiness, based in Salisbury, Maryland. Perdue Foods is a major chicken, turkey, and pork processing company in the United States. Perdue AgriBusiness ranks among the top United States grain companies. Perdue Farms has 2021 annual sales of $8 billion.
Controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) -- which includes indoor agriculture (IA) and vertical farming—is a technology-based approach toward food production. The aim of CEA is to provide protection from the outdoor elements and maintain optimal growing conditions throughout the development of the crop. Production takes place within an enclosed growing structure such as a greenhouse or plant factory.
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Urban Cultivator is a hydroponics company based in Surrey, British Columbia that creates indoor gardening appliances, which can grow herbs, microgreens, vegetables, and flowers for residences and commercial kitchens. It was founded in 2010 by Tarren Wolfe, Myles Omand, and Davin MacGregor.
Edward "Ed" Harwood was an American inventor, entrepreneur, and one of the pioneers of aeroponics. He was the founder of Aero Farm Systems, L.L.C. (AeroFarms), as well as the chief inventor of “Method and apparatus for aeroponic farming".
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