New York — Local greenhouse producers are responding to help retailers fill the supply gap created by the early finish for leafy greens in Yuma, AZ, due to weather issues. Greenhouse producer BrightFarms reports increased orders from several retailers looking to fill the gap caused by the widespread shortages of lettuce and greens normally sourced from Yuma.
In February, BrightFarms shipped over twice the amount of baby greens to its customers versus last year. Its two newest farms in Virginia and Chicago will each ship over one million pounds of fresh local produce this year. “We are harvesting and packing more spinach, arugula and other baby greens to help our retail customers offset the lack of availability from West Coast growers,” says Paul Lightfoot, BrightFarms Chief Executive Officer.
Fortunately for BrightFarms’ partner retailers, greenhouse location and production methods allow for quick response. “Since we only grow produce in the same markets as our consumers, we have been able to respond immediately and begin filling orders within 24-hours,” says Lightfoot.
Although many retailers are currently experiencing supply chain havoc, customers with a local greenhouse program have not experienced disruption. “We are covering large gaps in availability across the board and our customers are thankful,” says Abby Prior, BrightFarms Vice-President of Business Development. “The fact that we can help fill these shortages now just demonstrates even further the valuable relationship we build with our retailers to ensure a consistent, sustainable supply.”
Lightfoot views these types of crises as pointing toward the need for sustainable, local production in the future. “This situation illustrates how the BrightFarms model makes more sense for retailers over the long term,” he says. “The future only holds increasing climate change and harsher weather events, yet these do not threaten our supply. We are able to carefully control every aspect of our growing environment in our state-of-the-art greenhouse facilities and provide consistent, quality products. Our production method also enables us to provide retailers with pricing that does not fluctuate.”
ABOUT BRIGHTFARMS:
BrightFarms grows local produce, nationwide. BrightFarms finances, builds, and operates local greenhouse farms in partnership with supermarkets, cities, capital sources, and vendors, enabling it to quickly and efficiently eliminate time, distance, and costs from the food supply chain. BrightFarms’ growing methods, a model for the future of scalable, sustainable local farming, use far less energy, land, and water than conventional agriculture. Fast Company recognizes BrightFarms as “One of World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies” and one of the “Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Food” in the world. For more information, please visit www.brightfarms.com.
Source: BrightFarms
