Lufa Farms has been shaping urban agriculture since 2011, when it built the world’s first commercial rooftop greenhouse in Montreal. Now with over 500,000 square feet of growing space, the company is working to integrate sustainable farming into urban communities. In this month’s CEA Q&A, Chief of Staff (and Indoor Ag-Con 2025 speaker!) Rachael Warner shares lessons learned from scaling urban agriculture, the impact of new technologies, and the future of rooftop farming.
Urban Ag at Scale:
Lufa Farms has grown significantly, from the first rooftop greenhouse to multiple large-scale facilities. What lessons have you learned about scaling urban agriculture while staying true to your mission?
Our journey began with the world’s first commercial rooftop greenhouse in 2011, spanning 31,000 square feet. This step allowed us to grow food sustainably where people live. Over time, we recognized that to build a truly sustainable and profitable business, scaling up was essential. Fifteen years later, with over 500,000 square feet of growing space, we’ve significantly increased efficiency. With each new greenhouse, we’ve incorporated cutting-edge technologies like LED lights, diffused glass, and Ultra-Clima growing systems. These innovations have enabled us to scale while staying true to our mission of providing local, fresh, and pesticide-free produce for the city.
Indoor Farming Milestone:
In 2023, you introduced your first-ever indoor farm alongside your rooftop greenhouses. What prompted this diversification, and how does it complement your rooftop farming model?
Our indoor farm was an exciting venture born out of opportunity when we were offered unused space in the building that was housing our greenhouse and distribution center. It allowed us to optimize that space and take on a new challenge and type of farm that, to our knowledge, doesn’t exist anywhere else. The indoor farm mirrors the single-level NFT channel system used in our Anjou greenhouse but has a much greater capacity. Its capacity is remarkable, producing up to 20,000 units of vegetables daily. While it has presented challenges, it has been an incredible learning journey, thanks to our team’s dedication to improving production quality.
Technology and Innovation:
Your latest rooftop greenhouse boasts a 40% increase in vegetable yields thanks to advanced technology. Can you share some key innovations behind this leap in efficiency, and how do you see technology shaping the future of controlled environment agriculture?
Our newest rooftop greenhouse is our most technologically advanced yet, designed to grow more food with fewer resources. Using the Ultra-Clima concept, we’ve implemented high-intensity LED lights, insulated double-paned glass, a diffused glass roof, and double curtains. These innovations have allowed us to optimize energy use, maintain precise environmental controls, and significantly increase our production yields. We believe technology is the future of agriculture, enabling us to grow sustainably with less land, energy, water, and waste while ensuring urban farms remain efficient and scalable.
Marketplace Partnerships:
In addition to growing your own produce, Lufa Farms collaborates with local farmers and food makers to offer thousands of products through your online marketplace. How has this approach expanded your impact and redefined what urban farming can achieve?
While our greenhouses provide a wide variety of fresh produce, our partnerships with over 400 local farmers and food makers allow us to offer nearly everything you’d find in a neighborhood grocery store – eggs, cheese, flour, crackers, wine, and more. These collaborations help us expand our impact, connecting customers to fresh, local, and responsibly sourced food. By combining our urban farming model with a robust network of like-minded partners, we’ve reworked urban agriculture’s role, proving it can be a comprehensive solution for sustainable, city-based food systems.
Vision for the Future:
Your vision is a city of rooftop farms. What are the next steps to make this vision a reality, and how do you envision the role of urban farming evolving in cities around the world?
Our vision is bold: to scale up and ultimately serve 10% of the Montreal population and create a replicable system in other cities around the world. We want rooftop greenhouses to become a standard feature of urban development and a no-brainer for sustainable city planning. By integrating greenhouses into cities, we aim to transform urban areas into self-sufficient ecosystems. This approach brings fresh, local, and sustainable food closer to communities while showcasing how agricultural innovation can address global food security challenges. Urban farming has the potential to reshape cities, creating greener, healthier environments and a more resilient food system for the future.
And join us at Indoor Ag-Con March 11-12, 2025 to hear Rachael Warner as she joins other panelists for the session: Water Wise: Maximizing Water Quality For Maximum Yields, on Tuesday , March 11, 2025 from 10:00 AM – 10:50 AM PST
BrightFarms, a national leader in the indoor farming industry, today announced the opening of its first greenhouse in Texas. This brings its fresh, locally grown leafy greens to the South Central and Southwest for the first time.
Building on the recent unveiling of its Illinois greenhouse, the Lorena, Texas, site is the second of three regional hubs BrightFarms is opening in 2024, marking an ambitious and rapid expansion.
“Texans deserve the freshest, highest-quality produce, and we’re thrilled to deliver just that,” said Steve Platt, CEO of BrightFarms. “With our greenhouse expertise and cutting-edge technology, we’re bringing year-round access to fresh greens to the Lone Star State. As proud members of the GO TEXAN Program, we’re committed to not only providing top-tier produce but also supporting the growth of Texas agriculture.”
The Lorena greenhouse, which will cover 1.5 million square feet upon completion, is designed with cutting-edge cooling technology such as KUBO’s Ultra-Clima system, enabling BrightFarms to create and sustain optimal growing conditions year-round, regardless of the Texas heat or external climate conditions.
The new facility will create over 250 job opportunities for Lorena and the surrounding Texas triangle area, offering competitive benefits available from the very first day of employment.
Mucci Farms, an Ontario-based greenhouse grower and marketer of fresh produce, has acquired Greenhill Produce, a nearly 150-acre greenhouse facility in Kent Bridge, Ontario, according to a news release.
Part of the newly established Cox Farms company, Mucci now farms some 650-acres of greenhouses in Canada and the U.S., helping to make Cox Farms the largest owner of greenhouse acreage in North America, the release said.
The expansion follows Mucci’s recent acquisition of Hacienda Farms, a 160-acre facility in Coatsworth, Ontario.
“We’ve had the privilege of working closely with Greenhill for many years, so we know firsthand the exceptional quality of both their facilities and their crops,” said Bert Mucci, CEO of Mucci Farms. “Bringing Greenhill into the Mucci family enhances our supply chain [and offers a] more reliable supply for our partners.”
In just a few short years, Malaia’s Microgreens has transformed from a humble backyard operation to a thriving business supplying top-tier microgreens to some of California’s premier Michelin Star restaurants. Co-founders Malaia Martinez and Jaebin Yoo took a bold leap into the world of indoor farming with no prior experience, relying on passion, perseverance, and innovative problem-solving to scale their business. In this month’s CEA Q&A, Malaia shares their journey, the challenges they’ve overcome, and their vision for the future, offering valuable insights for anyone looking to succeed in the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry.
When did you open for business and how did you take the plunge into indoor farming or….What was your “I can do this!” moment?
In the winter of 2020, we purchased a small shed and built a ‘micro farm’ located in a neighbor’s backyard. We literally used our entire savings and even pawned off Jaebin’s camera equipment! Our decision to fully commit to indoor farming stemmed from the bold optimism only a pair of 20-year-olds could muster. During these nascent stages it was impossible for us to foresee all the impending challenges. Driven by our passion for plants, we charged ahead, undeterred by what we couldn’t yet see.
Neither of us had formal experience in agriculture or business, but we were quick learners, relying on the Internet, YouTube, and good old-fashioned trial and error. Reflecting on those early days, I’m amazed at how we embraced challenges which seemed insurmountable at the time. We learned to navigate uncertainty. After outgrowing the shed, we moved into my garage, only to be forced out when the landlord discovered our business!
That moment marked our biggest leap of faith. We could either shut down or double down. We didn’t hesitate—we doubled down. Securing a loan from the SBDC (Small Business Development Center) we landed our first commercial location in Irvine, California. Every step was a risk, with no guarantees, but our determined mindset laid the foundation for what our business has become today.
As a small-scale indoor grower, what have been some of the challenges you’ve overcome in an industry which seemingly has several large, well-funded players?
As a small-scale grower, we always face a challenge of resources compared to well-funded companies. Malaia’s Microgreens does not have the same level of capital to invest in staffing and equipment, which forces us to be scrappy and creative. Our farm runs a tight ship of 5 team members where our roles are constantly evolving to fit the task at hand. Although difficult at times, this allows us to have an intimate connection to almost every aspect of our business. We currently don’t have the resources to invest in highly expensive equipment so over the years, we’ve ended up developing our own proprietary farm technology to improve efficiencies at manageable costs. For example, we’ve developed our own automatic watering system, tray washer, tray potter, and more, at a fraction of the cost of the equivalent equipment for sale on the open market. These functions all play a part in our ability to scale, which in turn affects our opportunities to work with other companies and potential channel partners like produce distributors who require large volumes, which incentivizes our need to scale. But we do so in a way that does not hurt our business operations (see ‘death by growth’). We are always focused on incremental growth and creative decision-making.
Please share your customer make-up and what have you learned about their needs and requirements?
At Malaia’s Microgreens, our primary customers are fine dining establishments and chef-owned restaurant concepts. Every chef we partner with is an artist, a master of their craft and they incorporate our microgreens to add the final touches, accentuating their dishes before they reach the table. Our unwavering commitment to quality, food safety, and extended shelf life consistently wins over our clients.
We’ve learned that some microgreen providers have traditionally suffered from a reputation of poor quality and short shelf life. This makes it easy for us to stand out—chefs instantly recognize the superior quality of our product. Even more impressive is when they see our microgreens lasting three times longer in their fridge compared to the industry standard.
With strong values and a dedicated team focused on building close relationships with chefs to fully understand their unique needs, we’ve excelled in the fine dining scene. We’re proud to work with every Michelin Star restaurant in Orange County, California and within the next year, we plan to work with all the Michelin Star restaurants in Los Angeles as well!
What has been the most satisfying aspect of operating Malaia’s Microgreens?
Our partnership. For both Jaebin and me, the most rewarding part of running this business has been the strength of our partnership. While we’ve enjoyed the complexity of building the business, learning about controlled environment agriculture, working with chefs, etc., we both know it’s only possible because we complement each other so well. One’s strengths naturally balance the other’s weaknesses, and vice versa. It’s incredibly fulfilling to have someone in your corner, especially through the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.
What truly makes our partnership so strong is neither of us is willing to give up! We are completely aligned in our belief that grit and perseverance will take us far, and every year, we see this belief bear fruit.
What words of wisdom would you tell those who seek to start their own small-scale indoor farm?
Farming is not for the faint of heart! At the end of the day, indoor farming must be treated as a business based on the many costs involved. If you’re not careful, it’s easy to get swept up in the magic of indoor farming without realizing the substantial expenses associated with construction, food safety (certifications and audits), equipment, labor, and more. Once you get a handle on these costs, you must work twice as hard to drive sales and find opportunities to make your investments provide a tangible return. Surprisingly, for us, the actual farming has been far less challenging than the business operations side.
However, if you’re committed to the cause, you must seek out and take all the help you can find. Reach out to local growers, speak to your local SBDC, and build a strong support system to help you along the way. Malaia’s Microgreens was not just built by 2 people, but rather through an entire team of supporters.
What’s on the horizon for Malaia’s Microgreens?
The future is bright for Malaia’s Microgreens! We recently secured a $250,000 grant from the CDFA (California Department of Food & Agriculture), which will enable us to expand our facilities to four times our current size. In this new location, we plan to collaborate with major produce distributors, invest in community outreach initiatives, and further develop our proprietary systems.
We’re also excited to grow our team by focusing on hiring from within our local community. Additionally, we aim to invest in educational opportunities, offering students, entrepreneurs, and hobbyists a chance to learn more about controlled environment agriculture.
Looking further ahead, our long-term goals will extend beyond microgreens. We’re passionate about indoor farming and exploring how systems like ours can be replicated to support farmers in regions where climate challenges make crop success nearly impossible.
Virginia October 1-2, 2024 Edition Brings Academia and Industry Together For Collaboration, Innovation
The Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Summit East is excited to announce that the keynote address, “Leadership Insights: Charting the Future Landscape of Controlled Environment Agriculture,” will take place on Wednesday, October 2, 2024 at 9 AM at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) Conference Center in Danville, Virginia.
This session is one of two featured keynote addresses joining the full conference line-up for the October 1-2, 2024 edition, providing attendees with a double dose of expert insights and forward-thinking discussions. This keynote will bring together leading executives in the CEA industry to explore predictions, strategies, and perspectives on the emerging trends that will shape the future of controlled environment agriculture.
The panel will feature Carl Gupton, CEO, Greenswell Growers; John McMahon, Co-Founder & COO, Better Future Farms; and Molly Montgomery, Acting CEO & Executive Chair, AeroFarms. The keynote will be moderated by Emily Gee, a member of the Board of Directors for the CEA Alliance and Director of Marketing, AeroFarms.
This engaging session will give attendees the chance to participate in the ongoing conversation shaping the course of sustainable and innovative food production. Whether you are a greenhouse grower, urban agriculture operator, vertical farmer, supplier in the CEA sector, this keynote promises critical takeaways that can help you navigate the evolving landscape of controlled environment agriculture. Look for more information coming soon on another keynote session.
ABOUT CEA SUMMIT EAST
Returning for its third year, the CEA Summit East will be held from October 1-2, 2024, at the IALR Conference Center in Danville, Virginia. Co-hosted by Indoor Ag-Con, the premier trade show and conference for the vertical farming, greenhouse, and CEA sector, and the Virginia Tech (VT)- IALR CEA Innovation Center, this summit continues to be a key event for industry collaboration and innovation, featuring two days of tabletop exhibits, networking and conference programming.
Building on the success of its 2023 edition, which drew participants from 33 U.S. states, Canada, the Netherlands, and Sweden, the CEA Summit East 2024 is expected to once again unite professionals from academia, business, and technology within the CEA industry. Attendees will include greenhouse growers, urban agriculture operations, vertical farms, outdoor growers exploring hybrid opportunities, educators, scientists, extension personnel and agents, suppliers, engineers, tech specialists, architects/developers, government officials, and other industry members.
For more information on the CEA Summit East and to register for the event, please visit www.ceasummit.east.
ABOUT INDOOR AG-CON
Founded in 2013, Indoor Ag-Con has emerged as the largest trade show and conference for vertical farming | greenhouse | controlled environment agriculture. Its events are crop-agnostic and touch all sectors of the business, covering produce, legal cannabis | hemp, alternate protein and non-food crops. For more information, visit www.indoor.ag.
ABOUT THE VIRGINIA TECH – IALR CEA INNOVATION CENTER
The Virginia Tech-IALR Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center is a joint project between IALR and Virginia Tech’s School of Plant and Environmental Sciences and the Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center. By developing strategic partnerships with both industry and academia, the goal of the Innovation Center is to conduct research and educational programming to develop, promote and advance the CEA sector in the U.S. and internationally. For more information, visit www.ialr.org/cea
The Packer reports that Indoor agriculture company Local Bounti said it will supply Brookshire Grocery Co. with its grab-and-go salad kits, living lettuce and baby leaf varieties.
Local Bounti said it is now shipping to Brookshire Grocery Co. from its new Mount Pleasant, Texas, facility. The company’s full line of products, including its grab-and-go salad kits, living lettuce and baby leaf varieties will be stocked in more than 180 Brookshire store locations across three states in the Southeast and Southwest.
“We are excited about the opportunity to partner with Brookshire’s, as it marks another significant distribution win for Local Bounti, bringing us closer to our mission of delivering fresh, locally grown produce to more communities across the country,” Kathleen Valiasek, president and chief financial officer of Local Bounti, said in the release.
LAS VEGAS (August 13, 2024) — The Controlled Environment Agriculture Alliance (CEA Alliance) and the Indoor Ag-Con LLC management group announced today that the Alliance will hold its 2025 annual meeting in conjunction with Indoor Ag-Con and contribute to the educational program at the event in Las Vegas, March 11-12, 2025.
“Indoor Ag-Con has become one of the most important events of the year for CEA growers,” said CEA Alliance Executive Director Tom Stenzel. “We’re excited to hold our annual business meeting at the show, facilitating the participation of our member growers and their business partners in this event.”
The partnership underscores the commitment of both organizations to advancing the field of controlled environment agriculture.
“We are honored to partner with the CEA Alliance,” said Brian Sullivan, CEO of Indoor Ag-Con. “The Alliance’s grower and business service members represent leading innovators and voices in the CEA industry, amplifying the value and impact of our audience. Hosting their annual meeting in conjunction with our event creates a unique opportunity for our exhibitors and attendees to engage directly with even more top-tier growers and industry leaders. The Alliance’s contributions to our educational lineup will be invaluable, bringing critical insights and expertise on the key issues and trends shaping the future of controlled environment agriculture.”
As part of the 2025 Indoor Ag-Con conference program, the CEA Alliance will present a “State of the Industry” report, outlining the growth, challenges, and opportunities for the CEA sector.
“We’re excited to bring our members’ experience and expertise to this presentation at the 2025 conference,” said Alliance Chairman Dan Malech, Senior Vice President, Strategy and General Counsel, Plenty. “Our friends at Indoor Ag-Con have created an essential educational and business destination for our members, and we look forward to continuing to build momentum for the growth of the indoor produce sector.”
Entering its 12th year, Indoor Ag-Con has consistently been a pivotal event for professionals in the CEA sector, experiencing year-on-year growth and providing a comprehensive platform for networking, business development, and education. For the March 11-12, 2025 edition, Indoor Ag-Con moves to its new venue, Westgate Las Vegas, providing space for the event’s expanding exhibit hall, educational offerings, and networking events.
ABOUT THE CEA ALLIANCE The Controlled Environment Agriculture Alliance is a membership trade association representing and serving vertical farms and greenhouse producers growing fruits and vegetables in a highly controlled indoor production environment. More information is available at www.ceaalliance.com
ABOUT INDOOR AG-CON Indoor Ag-Con is the premier trade show and conference for the indoor and vertical farming industry, bringing together growers, suppliers, and industry leaders to share knowledge, network, and explore the latest innovations in controlled environment agriculture. More information is available at www.indoor.ag
The site that is now Lynchburg Grows has quite a storied past. The property was originally owned by the Doyle family, who operated a nursery growing all types of flowers from 1920 until the 1950s, when they transitioned the business into an East Coast distribution network that would become Wholesale Florist. The Schenkel family purchased the property in the early 1950s to grow long-stem roses exclusively until closing in the 1990s. During this time, the farm became one of the largest rose producers in Virginia – representing 23% of the state’s flower industry and harvesting up to 10,000 long stem roses a day in 70,000 square feet of greenhouses. Roses from the Schenkel Farm crowned Kentucky Derby winners and even decorated the White House. There is an endowment at Cornell named for the Schenkel family.
The Doyle family owned the property from 1920 until 1950 when they sold it to the Schenkels. Growing only long-stem roses, the Schenkel Farm would become of the largest rose producers in Virginia. Roses from the Schenkel Farm decorated the White House and crowned Kentucky Derby winners.
In 2003, a man named Paul Lam, himself disabled, witnessed the destruction of a garden he had lovingly cared for, all due to a communication error. Volunteers rallied to his aid when his story was published in the newspaper. Inspired by the experience, some of the people who helped Paul decided to form an organization to help more people with disabilities to grow food. They purchased the old Schenkel Farm, with its nine abandoned greenhouses, and begin work on what would become Lynchburg Grows.
In addition to providing meaningful employment to individuals with disabilities, key aspects of the work Lynchburg Grows does today includes operation of the Veggie Box Community Service Agriculture (CSA); the Fresh Rx Program that allows doctors to prescribe fresh produce to patients with diet-related illnesses; countless food donations; a host of educational programs and much more.
Can you share the journey that led to the founding of Lynchburg Grows and how your personal experiences influenced its mission?
Growing up with a cousin who was my age but was born with cerebral palsy, it was hard for me to understand why he couldn’t do the same things I was doing as a kid. When the opportunity arose to help create a program focused on providing people with disabilities the chance to share their talents and skills through agriculture, I jumped in with both feet.
(L-R): Surviving roses from the original farm that were replanted in greenhouse 3; Lynchburg Grows co-founders Michael Van Ness (far left) and Scott Lowman (far right) with their first group of employees; Lynchburg Grows first planting in greenhouse 1.
What challenges did you face when transforming the old Schenkel Farm into the thriving urban farm it is today, and how did the community contribute to overcoming these challenges?
The Schenkel Greenhouse Complex had been producing long-stem roses for nearly 50 years but closed in the mid-1990s due to the collapse of the rose industry in the U.S. Our team faced a couple of major challenges.
First, when the greenhouse closed, all the roses were allowed to die in place. Starting with nearly two acres of dead rose bushes was a significant challenge. The community came to the rescue and helped clear practically all the roses with thousands of volunteer labor hours. Groups of college students came by the hundreds from Lynchburg College and Randolph-Macon College, and the roses were cleared within a month or two.
(L-R): Lynchburg College freshman who cleared the first greenhouse of dead roses in one morning; more Lynchburg College students clearing trellising and irrigation; the restored packing shed where CSAs are processed and stored.
The second challenge was addressing the environmental impacts of a nearly 100-year-old horticultural brownfield site. The city of Lynchburg came to the rescue, and we went through the proper site assessments from regulatory agencies. The clean-up took place over time, and the project itself became a model of how brownfields could be turned into greenspaces in the state of Virginia.
To transform the property into a functioning farm, the community came together to raise funds. Combined with a USDA grant, we were able to restore much of the packing shed, which became the community center and CSA pickup spot for members
Lynchburg Grows emphasizes providing purposeful jobs for individuals with disabilities. Can you talk about some of the initiatives or programs you have in place to support this mission and any success stories that stand out?
From the beginning, we had several people with special needs involved in the transformation of the project. Practically all of them are still there 20 years later, and they provide inspiration to everyone who comes through the farm.
To date, hundreds of people with special needs have participated in our programs. Together with staff, the farm feeds nearly 300 families per week through our community supported agriculture program.
(L-R) Summer camps with local school groups; high school special needs students visiting the farm; the learning classroom in greenhouse 7
As Co-Director of the CEA Innovation Center/Vice President of Applied Research at the IALR and co-founder of Lynchburg Grows, you have a unique perspective on both urban farming and advanced controlled environment agriculture. How do these experiences complement each other, and what synergies do you see between them?
What I learned quickly was that starting a non-profit urban farm is very similar to most farming operations: margins are slim, and developing a market is key to survival. We soon realized that you can only grow certain vegetables in 100-year-old greenhouses during the summer, so we turned to surrounding farmers to help fill our CSA needs. We put nearly $70,000 in farmers’ pockets in the first year.
I then learned that farmers will grow almost anything if there is a market for it. Through this, I developed an interest in food systems that I still work on today. In fact, IALR just launched a Value Chain Coordinator program to help create a market for vegetables in our region
View of 8 of the 9 greenhouses at Lynchburg Grows today. Other than the last 2 on the right, all are more than 100-year-old Cyprus wood and glass structures manufactured by Lord and Burnham of Ohio.
With the CEA Summit East approaching, what key insights or innovations are you most excited to share with attendees, especially those related to urban farming and community engagement?
During the CEA Summit, I’m looking forward to welcoming CEA members from throughout the region to join us for two days of education and networking. Working with our partners at Indoor Ag-Con, we’re featuring a versatile group of tabletop exhibitors to showcase the latest industry innovations. We’re also offering an incredible line-up of keynote sessions, panels, and research showcase sessions. This Summit does a tremendous job of bringing the CEA business and academic sectors together to explore collaborative business growth and innovation opportunities.
In addition to all the exciting research and company support happening at our CEA center, I’m super excited to share our plans for expansion aimed at facilitating the success of current and future CEA entities in Virginia. The plan includes expanded development of a workforce pipeline for CEA companies, encompassing K-12, high school, community college, and university-level students.
We will also be expanding entrepreneurship opportunities and company support through the expansion of our facilities.
Finally, I’m excited to continue working with Virginia Secretary of Agriculture Matthew Lohr to promote Virginia as the best state in the U.S. for CEA companies to locate.
Learn more about the upcoming CEA Summit East, including tabletop exhibitors, the full conference schedule, networking opportunities and more — www.ceasummit.com
Located in the mountains of Barranquitas, Campo Caribe is officially on its way to providing fresh produce to Puerto Rican families, creating new jobs and reducing the island’s dependence on imports. Following last week’s press conference where Puerto Rico’s Governor Pedro R. Pierluisi announced the expansion of the agricultural project’s state-of-the-art hydroponic greenhouse operation — the largest in the Caribbean – Indoor Ag-Con spoke with Campo Caribe’s Head Grower Jonah Helmer. Read on as he shares the cutting-edge technologies and innovative strategies the team is implementing to overcome tropical weather challenges, optimize growing conditions, and sustainably produce fresh, high-quality lettuce year-round.
Can you share how Campo Caribe will be leveraging its unique location in the central mountains of Puerto Rico to optimize growing conditions and mitigate the challenges posed by the tropical island environment, such as hurricanes and extreme weather fluctuations?
Campo Caribe commercial greenhouse in the mountains of Puerto Rico
With our location in the central mountains of Puerto Rico, Campo Caribe has climatic advantages, including high levels of sunlight and mostly moderate temperatures due to the higher elevation. However, there are some additional issues we face in our tropical island location, such as risk of hurricanes, periods of excessive sunlight, frequent rain events, periods of low humidity and of excessive humidity, and periods of extreme air and irrigation water temperatures.
To control these variables, Campo Caribe is building one of the most technologically advanced and sustainable lettuce greenhouses in the Caribbean. At 5.5 acres, this is the largest hydroponic greenhouse in the Caribbean and the largest of only 3 greenhouses in the world combining the Cravo retractable roof structure and Hydronov deep water culture growing system. The Cravo retractable roof and shading system allows us to passively cool our greenhouse throughout the day. We can open the roof to maximize our light levels during cloudy periods and close the roof and shade system to reduce peak light intensity. We grow our lettuce in deep water culture, which uses a greater water volume to buffer fluctuations in water and air temperature around the plant. We added a Vifra high pressure fogging system to maintain optimal humidity levels for our plants to help them transpire, photosynthesize, and maximize growth all day long without becoming water stressed under the strong tropical sun.
Prior to completion of its commercial greenhouse, Campo Caribe built research and development greenhouses.
Our unique combination of location, facility design, growing equipment, and controls systems allows us to overcome these issues and puts us on the cutting edge of the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry. This makes our facility more productive, energy efficient, and sustainable than those of our competitors, and makes our products tastier and healthier for our customers. Our greenhouse is built to withstand hurricane force winds up to 165 mph and will allow us to achieve a higher order fulfillment rate for Puerto Rican businesses.
The integration of the Cravo retractable roof structure and Hydronov deep water culture growing system are distinguishing features of Campo Caribe. Can you explain how this combination enhances plant growth and resource efficiency compared to traditional greenhouse setups?
Cravo retractable roof
Conventional glass and plastic greenhouses are not designed to operate in tropical climates with high temperatures and humidities all year round. The Cravo greenhouse allows us to optimize the aerial environment around the leaves of the plants in our hot climate while the Hydronov deep water culture system provides deep, cool, and oxygenated reservoirs of recirculating nutrient solution that will support plant growth even with severe fluctuations in temperatures and interruptions in power supply that can occur in Puerto Rico.
The roof and sides of the Cravo greenhouse fully retract allowing us to combine the benefits of outdoor and CEA production systems to enhance plant growth. By maximizing natural sunlight and controlling the environment, Campo Caribe is able to exceed the average yields of lettuce grown in deep water culture without the use of any artificial lighting and with lower chemical inputs.
The retractable roof prevents the excess heat buildup that occurs in conventional greenhouses and ensures that we have uniform growing conditions throughout the 5.5 acre structure. Retractable cooling curtains help regulate the sunlight and air temperatures, while our high-pressure fogging system and horizontal airflow fans optimize the humidity levels around the leaf surface.
Campo Caribe uses minimal electricity since the retractable roofs and cooling curtains consume only 2-3 kw hours of electricity per day per hectare compared to over 1000 kw hours for conventional greenhouses cooled with cooling pads and fans. We are not using any supplemental lighting to grow our lettuce, which saves a significant amount of energy and expense compared to greenhouses in higher latitudes.
Tropical climates provide favorable conditions for foliar and root diseases due to consistently warm temperatures and high humidity and precipitation levels. Hydronov designed our growing system to reduce risk of crop loss from disease and improve productivity. Our growing system features 16 independent production ponds, each fed with ozone sterilized source water to prevent the introduction of water-borne pests and diseases into the ponds. We have precise control systems for the water temperature and oxygen concentration of our growing solution to further reduce disease risk and improve plant health to make our product top in quality and in safety.
The use of rainwater collection and high-pressure fogging systems reflects a commitment to resource efficiency and environmental sustainability. Could you elaborate on how these systems contribute to Campo Caribe’s overall sustainability goals and operational efficiency?
Campo Caribe’s lettuce will come in butterhead, romaine and spring mix varieties, and will be available in supermarkets and restaurants around the island, as well as at a direct sales stand at the farm’s facilities in Barranquitas.
Campo Caribe designed our production systems to improve the sustainability and reliability of produce available in Puerto Rico. By replacing imports with locally grown produce, Campo Caribe will help decrease Puerto Rico’s dependency on imported food, which currently stands at approximately 85%. The majority of lettuce available in Puerto Rico is grown in California or Arizona and shipped by truck and by boat to the island. It is not uncommon for some of this produce to go bad during this long journey and be wasted before it gets to consumers, contributing to higher carbon emissions.
To conserve resources, Campo Caribe utilizes collected rainwater from the roof of the greenhouse as the primary water source for the facility and saves 90% more water than conventional outdoor lettuce farms. By collecting and using our rainwater, Campo Caribe can support its production with less reliance on municipal or well water. This helps us to produce a reliable supply of lettuce for our customers all year round.
Campo Caribe General Manager, Zuleyka Mendoza, and Farm Supervisor, Andrea Baez, in research greenhouse
The Cravo retractable roof structure significantly reduces the amount of energy used to vent and cool the greenhouse, but high solar radiation levels can cause severe spikes in air temperature and drops in humidity levels. To prevent our plants from getting water stressed, we have installed a Vifra high pressure fogging system to maintain optimal humidity levels and cool down peak air temperatures. Vifra’s high pressure fogging system produces water droplets 1 micron in size that evaporate immediately in the air, increasing humidity without wetting the leaf surface, which reduces risk of foliar disease.
The high pressure fogging system will work in combination with the retractable cooling curtains to reduce peak temperatures making our greenhouse more resistant to extreme temperatures caused by climate change. By maintaining optimal humidity levels during hot summer days, our crop will not become water stressed and instead can take full advantage of the sun’s energy to grow faster and yield more. The high pressure fogging system will only be required for several hours per day when the humidity levels drop below 60% which will reduce the amount of fresh water for cooling by over 95% compared to conventional pad and fan cooled greenhouses.
The Priva Control System will play a key role in maintaining optimal growing conditions. Can you discuss how this system improves operational efficiency and ensures consistent yields – particularly in a high-tech greenhouse environment like Campo Caribe?
Campo Caribe greenhouse pond recirculation corridor
Campo Caribe selected a Priva climate control system to monitor and control all climate variables and control the irrigation system in our greenhouse. Priva (based in De Lier, Holland) is a global leader in CEA control systems, developing software, hardware, and services for the horticulture industry worldwide. We collaborated with Priva partner, Borlaug, in designing, developing, manufacturing, shipping, installing, and commissioning our climate control system. Priva integrates with the Cravo greenhouse and production equipment so we can monitor and control the climate conditions in our greenhouse from anywhere with an internet connection via their online platform. We can monitor and control the air temperature, humidity level, light level, CO2 concentration, wind speed, and leaf temperature in the greenhouse. For each independent recirculating pond we can precisely add pH and nutrient adjusted solutions using a Priva Nutrifit system and monitor the pH, EC, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP) in real time.
The Priva system notifies growing staff if climate variables are out of range so actions can be taken to resolve problems quickly and to return to optimal conditions. This high level of control and monitoring allows Campo Caribe to optimize the growing conditions at all times to produce high quality lettuce all year round, empowering the farm to hit 95% fulfillment for our customers.
Energy efficiency is a significant focus for Campo Caribe, as demonstrated by your energy management system and facility design. How do these systems contribute to reducing overall energy consumption while still meeting the demands of a large-scale lettuce operation – and what are the expected benefits in terms of cost savings and environmental impact?
Campo Caribe Team with Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi at press conference
To reduce our daily electrical usage, Campo Caribe is utilizing a Deep Sea Electronics generator controller to perform advanced electrical dispatching and integrate with Priva and the major loads of the facility. An easily programable load shed system turns off major electrical loads in the facility to save energy and to prevent overloading our electrical service and back-up generator. We prioritize the dispatching of power to equipment needed to maintain an optimal production climate for our plants including operations of the greenhouse roof and shade curtains, fogging system, and water recirculation pumps. We will only run some equipment at night, such as the Priva Nutrifit, to fill up the production ponds in order to reduce power consumption during the day when we are harvesting and packaging.
Other parts of our operation including the refrigerated warehouse were designed to maximize energy efficiency. Excess insulation in the warehouse and packing room coupled with fast acting roll-up doors will maintain cold food safe temperatures using less energy from the cycling of condensing units.
In case of electrical outages, we have a back-up generator that can support the entire facility. We are continuing our research to determine when our peak power demand occurs, and we are working with Ageto Energy to provide for a variety of power sources in the future. Ageto Energy’s ARC system will ultimately act as the single interface for the disparate energy resources and will optimize to provide the cheapest, cleanest, and most reliable power.
This unique power system and facility design allows us to be more reliable in the face of power outages and storms and provide a more sustainable product with less carbon emissions for our customers.
Learn more about Campo Caribe and keep up with its progress here — www.campocaribe.com
Press Conference With Puerto Rico Governor Pedro PierluisiPuerto Rico Governor and General Manager in Campo Caribe Research Greenhouse
Campo Caribe hosted a press conference on Monday, May 13 where Puerto Rico Governor Pedro R. Pierluisi and other officials participated in the announcement of the company’s expansion plans. Check out some of the press coverage from outlets, including:
“There’s a bigger chance of crop failure for outdoor growers not to deliver, because of weather. We should continue to balance it out with CEA produce. However, as a retailer, if you only want to sell indoor produce, there aren’t dozens of suppliers to buy from,” says Vonnie Estes, Vice President of Innovation, International Fresh Produce Association.
Having worked in fresh produce for decades, Vonnie is keeping busy with technology in agriculture that’s used throughout the entire supply chain. Currently, she devotes most of her time to climate change and labor shortages, trying to find an answer on how to mitigate and respond to these shifts. Reflecting on a rocky couple of years within the CEA industry, Vonnie reassures that indoor growers will be able to lock in contracts with retail, “Especially if you’re a producer with a strong track record.” However, as a new farm that might be a bit harder, especially when making big promises that cannot be lived up to. New farms will have to show a pathway to profitability and proof that they can stay in business to deliver quality products on contracts.
“When there’s a shortage due to weather events in open-field production, the trading desks come in trying to fill up the gaps which happens all the time in outdoor-grown. They have built a bigger infrastructure and more growers to pull from over time. Most indoor growers are selling directly to retailers so for the most part do not go through trading desks. As we have more indoor growers and larger supply, indoor will also be able to fill these gaps,” Vonnie elaborates.
Technology and Innovation:
Learn more about Lufa Farms here.
When did you open for business and how did you take the plunge into indoor farming or….What was your “I can do this!” moment?
As a small-scale indoor grower, what have been some of the challenges you’ve overcome in an industry which seemingly has several large, well-funded players?
Please share your customer make-up and what have you learned about their needs and requirements?
What has been the most satisfying aspect of operating Malaia’s Microgreens?
What words of wisdom would you tell those who seek to start their own small-scale indoor farm?
