Bright Farms
Locations & Size: 5 greenhouses: Elkwood, Virginia (2 acres); Loudon, New Hampshire (1 acre); Yorkville, Illinois (8 acres); Macon, Georgia (8 acres) and Lorena, Texas (8 acres) and 1 corporate office in Irvington, New York
Products: Packaged crunchy green leaf, serrated, red leaf, baby butter, baby romaine lettuces and baby spinach in a variety of product types, including salad kits.
Customers: Retail grocery
Production Methods: BrightFarms uses cutting-edge hydroponic greenhouse systems and rainwater recycling to reduce water usage and production costs, as well as advanced climate-control systems to grow year round and reduce resource consumption. Created three regional hubs allowing them to service two-thirds of the U.S.
In their words: “BrightFarms measures its success through operational expansion and measurable business results. Over the past few years, the company has opened three regional greenhouse hubs with nearly 100 acres of expansion potential, enabling reliable, consistent, and profitable leafy greens production across the country. BrightFarms products are now available in more than 6,400 retail stores across the Central, Eastern, and Southwest regions of the United States.”
Haven Greens
Locations & Size: 1 greenhouse: King City, Ontario, Canada (5 acres)
Products: Packaged baby green leaf, baby red and green leaf and baby spring mix (baby green leafy, baby red leaf, arugula and mustard greens) in a variety of product types.
Customers: Retail grocers, restaurants, food service businesses in Quebec, Alberta and the U.S.
Production Methods: Fully automated greenhouse hydroponic production from seeding to harvest, including a custom mobile gully system, an irrigation system employing nanobubble oxygenation and heat exchangers, as well as customized insulated germination boxes. The greenhouse aims for a 99% water reuse rate with rainwater capture, treatment and recycling.
In their words: “The innovation behind Haven Greens has transformed its business into a model of efficiency, consistency, and scalability, setting it apart as the first fully automated greenhouse of its kind in Canada. By integrating advanced growing technologies, robotics, and data-driven systems, Haven Greens is able to maximize output while reducing waste, ensuring that every product it delivers meets the highest standards of freshness and flavour.”
Planet Farms
Locations & Size: 1 production site: Cirimido, Como, Italy (20,000 sq. m.); 4 offices: Milan, Italy; London, England; Eindhoven, the Netherlands and Coimbra, Portugal; 1 research & development site: Milan, Italy
Customers: Retail grocers, food service and food distributors, textile companies, cosmetics companies, pharmaceutical companies, spirits companies
Products: leafy greens, herbs (for both consumption and extraction), cotton and coffee
Production Methods: Indoor vertical farm that integrates clean-room cultivation, advanced climate control and data-driven automation, using LED lighting, optimized temperature and humidity and air filtration in multi-level production facilities. The farm runs “seed-to-pack” with a smart monitoring operation system (Gaia VF) that collects data to continually refine yield, quality and efficiency.
In their words: “Rather than relying on traditional horticultural standards, Planet Farms builds its facilities using industrial-grade equipment, drawing on 15 years of our co-founder’s experience in food factory manufacturing. A prime example is our Clean Room, uniquely certified ISO 6 and 7 for zero heavy metal residues—making us the only provider in the sector to operate at this standard. This innovation not only strengthens our retail proposition by ensuring unparalleled food safety and quality, but also enables us to collaborate with adjacent industries that use our products as agricultural inputs. Furthermore, having successfully overcome the fire at our first farm and turning it into a learning opportunity, we have demonstrated the resilience, flexibility, and lean mindset that continue to underpin our growth and long-term competitiveness.”
