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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

FarmedHere To Locate Food Processing Facility In West Louisville, Kentucky

01/28/2016
FarmedHere, the country’s largest and longest-running vertical farm, will locate a year-round indoor farm and food processing facility in the Foodport in Louisville, Kentucky. The company plans to create 40 jobs with a $23.5 million investment.

The firm plans to lease 60,000 square feet in the FoodPort for its vertical farming operation and use half the space for up to 10 rows of vertically stacked grow beds. The company will dedicate the remaining space to sorting and packaging leafy greens and processing herbs and other plants for inclusion in salad dressings, baby food and additional value-added products.

The facility’s location will help FarmedHere quickly deliver freshly harvested, USDA-certified organic and pesticide-free produce. FarmedHere also plans to hire veterans and second-chance employees including refugees and ex-offenders.

“Louisville is an ideal location for a FarmedHere vertical farm as it enables us to deliver healthy, local, organic produce 365 days a year to the approximately 18.2 million people living within a 200-mile radius of the city,” said Matt Matros, CEO of FarmedHere. “We are thrilled to partner with Seed Capital Kentucky, the West Louisville FoodPort, the state, Governor Bevin, Mayor Fischer and Louisville Forward as we work to make this new facility a reality and give back to the Louisville community.”

To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved FarmedHere for tax incentives up to $400,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the agreement term through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.

In addition, FarmedHere can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies are eligible to receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives.

“Agriculture is one of the Commonwealth’s signature industries and we are excited to welcome a company that will help us build upon that success,” said Governor Matt Bevin. “FarmedHere’s unique approach provides an opportunity to boost Kentucky’s local produce output and distribution. We are pleased to welcome FarmedHere to Kentucky and anticipate their fruitful partnership with the West Louisville FoodPort.”

“FarmedHere’s sustainable practices and compassionate hiring policy make it an ideal community partner in west Louisville,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “The addition of this innovative company to the West Louisville FoodPort affirms our commitment to giving every citizen an opportunity for a healthy lifestyle by making locally grown food easily accessible.”

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