New climate-controlled, cloud-connected facility is the company’s fourth farm built in partnership with Gordon Food Service, and the company’s second farm to open this year.
First commercial harvests are scheduled for summer 2022, reaching local consumers across Ohio – including the Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton metropolitan areas.
(Springfield, Ohio) — Square Roots, the technology leader in indoor farming, and Gordon Food Service, one of the largest food distributors in North America, announced the opening of a new climate-controlled, indoor farm in Springfield, Ohio.
“Our partnership with Gordon Food Service, combined with our scalable smart-farm technology platform, means Square Roots is able to rapidly open a number of new indoor farms this year,” said Tobias Peggs, Co-Founder and CEO of Square Roots. “With this new facility in Springfield, we are now making locally-grown food available, all year, to new consumers across Ohio, while also creating exciting jobs in the community.”
“The new farm we’ve announced with Square Roots in Springfield accelerates our shared vision to build more indoor farms together across the continent,” said Rich Wolowski, President and CEO of Gordon Food Service. “Together, we are enabling local food at a global scale, meeting the rising demand for produce that is fresher, responsibly grown, and traceable from seed to shelf.”
Springfield is the second new farm Square Roots has opened in 2022, following the recently announced opening in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Square Roots also operates two commercial-scale indoor farms in Michigan, and a facility in Brooklyn, New York, which also houses the company’s center for plant science and research and development.
The new farm in Springfield harnesses Square Roots’ smart-farm technology platform and software-controlled hydroponic growing systems to produce more food with fewer resources 365 days a year, regardless of outdoor weather conditions. Square Roots’ approach uses 95% less water than conventional field farms and features repurposed urban infrastructure — creating ideal growing climates inside refurbished upcycled shipping containers that are stacked vertically to reduce the company’s impact on the land. By deploying a network of local farms in strategically located cities like Springfield, Square Roots also ensures a shorter supply chain and less distance between people and their food, reducing food miles and minimizing food waste.
Square Roots farmers in Springfield will soon be harvesting long-lasting herbs such as basil, cilantro, dill, and parsley, alongside nutritious salad mixes and chef-favorite microgreens. The Springfield farm has the capacity to produce more than 2.4 million packages of herbs and leafy greens annually. All Square Roots produce has at least 14 days of extended shelf life and is completely free of pesticides and GMOs.
Square Roots is recruiting locally in Springfield and the surrounding areas and on May 19, the company will host a virtual job fair to help Ohio-based job seekers looking to learn more about opportunities in the high-tech agriculture industry. Square Roots offers extensive ongoing training opportunities for employees, in addition to full benefits, ownership in Square Roots, and accelerated career paths to propel professional growth.
About Square Roots
Square Roots is the technology leader in indoor farming with a mission to responsibly bring its locally grown food to people in cities around the world, all year round. Square Roots is setting new standards for transparency and responsibility, while training a new generation of leaders in agriculture to create a more sustainable food system. Founded by serial entrepreneurs, Kimbal Musk and Tobias Peggs, its range of fresh produce is available in more than 250 retail locations around the country including Gordon Food Service Stores, Whole Foods Market, SpartanNash corporate stores, Fresh Thyme Market, Meijer’s market format stores, Busch’s Fresh Food Market, FreshDirect, and Morton Williams. Square Roots’ strategic partnership with Gordon Food Service reinforces a larger shared ambition to build commercial-scale, climate-controlled indoor farms together across the continent – enabling local food at a global scale, year round. For more information, please visit www.squarerootsgrow.com.
About Gordon Food Service
For 125 years, Gordon Food Service has delivered uncompromising quality and heartfelt service for our customers. Beginning as a simple butter-and-egg delivery service, we’ve grown to become the largest family business in the foodservice industry by upholding the same approach since 1897—remaining passionately committed to the people we serve. Today, we serve foodservice operators in the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest regions of the United States and coast-to-coast in Canada. We also operate more than 170 Gordon Food Service Store locations in the U.S. By partnering with organizations from across industries—healthcare to education, independent and chain restaurants, and event planners—we help our customers create food experiences that people choose, enjoy, and remember.
