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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

AeroFarms Plans St. Louis Innovation Hub

08/18/2021
AeroFarms, a Certified B Corporation and leader in indoor vertical farming, plans to expand in the Midwest region with a 150,000 square foot Innovation Hub and indoor vertical farm in St. Louis metro area. This includes potential sites in both Missouri and Illinois.

The 150,000 square foot indoor vertical farm, AeroFarms’ largest to date, will be strategically located in the greater St. Louis area to provide AeroFarms with rapid access to retail partners throughout the Midwest, company officials said. The plant is part of a project with the World Wildlife Fund and the St. Louis Controlled Environment Agriculture Coalition to demonstrate innovative strategies to minimize the environmental footprint of indoor agriculture.

“Customer demand for our award-winning greens has been accelerating across the United States, and this latest farm expansion will allow us to serve our retail partners and their customers throughout the Midwest,” said David Rosenberg, Co-Founder and CEO of AeroFarms.

AeroFarms will deploy its latest generation of proprietary growing technology at the farm, which will generate yields up to 390 times greater productivity per square foot annually, compared to traditional field farming, while using up to 95% less water and zero pesticides.

“Indoor farming solutions can help us ensure a more resilient and environmentally responsible food system in the future, through decreased water use, reduction of soil erosion and use of pesticides, and lowered food loss and waste, but there are still challenges to overcome,” said Julia Kurnik, Director of Innovation Startups at World Wildlife Fund.

AeroFarms said it starts by selecting the most flavorful varieties of leafy greens, then perfects them in its proprietary indoor vertical farms for optimal quality, color, nutrition, texture, taste, and yield. The company has trademarked Vertical Farming, Elevated Flavor to highlight for consumers how its food is grown, as well as the key growing benefits that AeroFarms uniquely brings to the market, setting a new culinary standard with millions of data points to prove it.

“For 20 years, St. Louis has cultivated its AgTech assets, shaping them into a world-renowned industry cluster that grows start-ups and sustains developed businesses, supporting them all with research, funding and thoughtful collaboration,” said Steve Johnson, Chief Business Attraction Officer, Greater St. Louis, Inc., and president, AllianceSTL.

The STLCEA Coalition was convened by WWF and consists of more than 70 key stakeholders including Greater St. Louis, Inc., Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, University of Arizona, Controlled Environment Agriculture Center, and Schnuck Markets, Inc.

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