Indoor vertical farming company Plenty said last week that it has "doubled its retail presence, making its zero-pesticide leafy greens readily available to Californians with its expansion to all Whole Foods Market stores and Gelson’s Markets throughout the state."
The retailers are being served by Plenty's new farm in Compton, California, a city in Los Angeles County that, ironically, largely was farmland until the 1930s. Plenty's Compton Farm "is scaling up to grow up to 4.5 million pounds of leafy greens annually," the company says.
The announcement points out that "the farm’s increased production is powering the expansion of Plenty’s California retail footprint to more than 180 locations including all California Bristol Farms, Gelson’s and Whole Foods Market stores. Plenty's leafy greens are also available online through Good Eggs, Imperfect Foods, Instacart, Misfits Market and Whole Foods.
"Plenty will continue its expansion throughout California and beyond this summer. Its next expansion will bring Plenty to the East Coast with the completion of its farm in Richmond, Virginia, in 2024, which will grow strawberries in partnership with Driscoll's."
- KC's View:
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I've been intrigued by Plenty ever since I saw its original, now-closed facility in Northern California, as well as other companies' efforts to adapt new and more sustainable farming methods for a 21st century food industry.
Plenty has plenty of money to make this work on a national scale, with investors that include Walmart. I'm really bullish on the positive impact that companies like these can have on how people eat and even think about their food, which is something in which retailers ought to have a stake.
