| AeroFarms | |
| Industry: | Agriculture |
| Predecessors: | --> |
| Successors: | --> |
| Founded: | in Finger Lakes, New York, U.S. |
| Hq Location City: | Newark, New Jersey |
| Hq Location Country: | U.S. |
| Areas Served: | --> |
| Products: | Aeroponic technology |
| Owners: | --> |
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 Edward Harwood.[3]
In 2015, AeroFarms started a growing space in a 30,000 square-foot former paintball and laser tag arena in Newark, New Jersey.[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]
In 2022, AeroFarms opened a farm in Danville, Virginia, where the company is now headquartered.
On June 8, 2023, AeroFarms filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[7] AeroFarms emerged from its bankruptcy in September 2023 following the court’s approval of its restructuring plan involving major investors such as Grosvenor Food & AgTech and Doha Venture Capital,[8] 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.[9]
AeroFarms uses aeroponic technology in their farms. Unlike hydroponics, aeroponics utilizes a closed loop system to mist the roots of the greens with nutrients, water, and oxygen. The growing cloth medium is made out of BPA-free, post-consumer recycled plastic. The cloth can be fully sanitized after harvest and then reseeded with no risk of contamination. Acting as a barrier between the mist and the plants, the cloth allows for a clean, dry and ready to eat product.[10] LED lights are engineered to have specific spectrum, intensity, and frequency which controls the physical and flavor components of the produce.[11] The controlled indoor environment disrupts the normal cycle of indoor pests. This pest-resistant design does away with the need for pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.[12]