Plants First, People and Planet Always: Greenswell Growers CEO Carl Gupton on Scaling Sustainable Success

Greenswell Growers is showing what’s possible when automation, sustainability, and community commitment come together in one operation. With a 77,000-square-foot facility in Goochland County, Virginia, the company grows fresh, pesticide-free greens year-round while using up to 85% less water than conventional farming and reducing plastic with innovative packaging. As a speaker on the upcoming  Day 2 CEO Keynote Panel at CEA Summit East — “Automation in Action: How Virginia Growers Are Putting Tech To Work” — CEO Carl Gupton shared how a “plants first” philosophy drives every decision, from leveraging technology and scaling production to giving back to the local community.

Greenswell Growers is committed to “plants ” How does that philosophy guide your decisions when it comes to technology, sustainability, and operational practices?

When we commit to “plants first” everything else falls into place. At Greenswell Growers, the best way for us to take care of our customers, community, associates, and planet is to grow the most consistent, safest, best tasting and longest lasting greens possible. We focus on finding best-in-class processes and leveraging state-of-the-art equipment. From there, we have taken a few years to fine-tune the process, settings, and equipment to ensure the optimal growing environment.

Having a growing team of plant experts has also allowed us to give back to the community by supporting education programs at all levels. From providing tours to elementary classes, to guiding curriculum for technical school programs, and conducting research studies with universities, we help contribute to the future of the CEA space by enhancing education programs and inspiring bright, curious students.

Automation is a big part of your How has Greenswell Growers integrated automation into daily operations, and what benefits has it delivered in terms of efficiency, food safety and scalability?

When it comes to seeding, growing, harvesting, and packaging the greens, everything is automated! We are able to grow 30 times more per acre than traditional field farming greatly contributing to our overall efficiency. Our automation allows our greens to never be touched by human hands. This greatly reduces food safety risk while enhancing the quality and giving the greens their unique full texture and flavor. Automation, along with our rigorous food safety program, allows us to provide some of the best product on the market.

All this work didn’t happen overnight; we have spent the last few years fine-tuning our process to optimize our consistency and yields. With unwavering standards for growing the best greens possible along the way, we are now ready to continue to grow and scale the business.

You’ve built a strong identity around local impact and environmental How do your technologies and processes support your sustainability goals — especially when it comes to water use, packaging, and transportation?

The nature of this question is the basis of Greenswell Growers’ founding mission – to make a local impact by changing lives through the power of food. One of Greenswell Growers’ founders is the CEO of FeedMore – Central Virgina’s core hunger relief organization. He and two fellow stewards of the community, identified a need for fresh, safe produce in this region. In order to meet the growing and pressing need, the mission was to locally harvest greens that were reliably safe, and, of course, fresh and delicious. Since our first harvest in 2022, we have done just that and have continued to donate 5% of our yield to FeedMore to help nourish the community most in need.

In addition to donating greens, we also see it as our responsibility to take the best care of the planet for current and future generations. Our investment in technology and dedication to our process allow us to cut down on water, use less plastic, travel fewer miles, and reduce food waste.

Cutting back on what could become the most valuable resource, water, is just one way we are environmentally conscious. We use up to 85% less water than conventional farming due to our ability to precisely control the environment and accurately monitor the needs of our plants. Water is not the only resource we’re able to reduce. By investing in unique film-seal equipment, we also use 30% less plastic than traditional clamshells. Once the trays are sealed and case-packed, they are shipped throughout the Mid-Atlantic and neighboring regions cutting down miles traveled by trucks transporting greens from California and Arizona.

Finally, we believe it’s our responsibility to be part of the solution to one of the most pressing challenges in our food system: waste. According to the USDA, nearly 30–40% of the food supply is wasted in the United States. That’s billions of pounds of food—and the energy, water, and labor that went into growing it—lost each year. For us, reducing waste starts at the seed and continues through every stage of the process, from germination to harvest to how our greens are packed and delivered. On our website, we have a series of articles highlighting how our technology and process reduce food waste in our greenhouse, at store-level and in customers’ homes.

Greenswell Growers is “designed to scale,” with the ability to grow to order year- round. How does your model make that possible, and how does it help you meet customer demand more effectively?

By design, our growing schedule is not fully automated. Our team is dedicated to working directly with customers to ensure their product demands are met with the freshest greens. We often have customers visit and marvel that the greens they see being harvested show up in their location within a day or two. Along with our closely coordinated delivery schedules, with a 22-24 day growing cycle we are able to be nimble and make quick adjustments to meet customer demand.

Our model also allows us to grow greens with a naturally extended shelf life. Our process is ship right away to give even more time for stores to sell the product. This additional time makes it easier for the operator to order and meet their customers’ demand. Even beyond the store level, we hear frequently from chefs and customers “it never goes bad!”. Although they may be slightly exaggerating, we love knowing people no longer throwing out greens but instead, enjoying them. Growing the highest quality greens that last longer is a win for everyone involved.

Are there any upcoming plans, innovations or tech enhancements on the horizon for Greenswell Growers that you’re excited about?

Our years of finetuning our equipment, creating the optimal environment, and refining our process have paid off and we are now prime for the horizon. We are ready to take the next steps in helping to do our part and reshaping the food supply for the next generation.

Learn more about Greenswell Growers by visiting their website here.