Gotham Greens has tens of thousands of lettuce and basil plants at its greenhouse in Pullman , creating an emerald sea within the cavernous space. Inside, the warm air smells fresh and fragrant. The New York-based indoor farming company recently expanded again in Pullman, growing its footprint by about one-third.
Gotham Greens earmarked the new space to start its national pilot to grow spinach, adding to the hydroponic basil and lettuce it grows year-round. The 55,000-square-foot addition features newer technology and brings the company’s Pullman greenhouses to a total of 230,000 square feet across two sites. Spinach is more difficult to grow than lettuce and basil because it’s more sensitive to diseases and takes longer to mature, said Jenn Frymark, chief greenhouse officer for Gotham Greens.
But consumers and commercial buyers are interested in greenhouse-grown spinach because of recent recalls of outdoor-farmed varieties, she said. The majority of greens cultivated by Gotham go to distribution centers in the Chicago area that supply Whole Foods, Jewel-Osco, Pete’s Fresh Markets, Costco and other groceries, as well as restaurants. For example, Gotham’s basil is served at Sweetgreen locations in Illinois and Coalfire Pizza in Chicago.
The Pullman greenhouses also supply distribution centers in Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio. The company doesn’t share output by facility. But the expansion in Pullman, along with others recently across the U.
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