Gotham Greens CEO Outlines the Company’s Expansion Goals
April 13, 2022 
Viraj Puri, Gotham Greens
Last month, we reported on Gotham Greens’ plan to double the size of its greenhouse capacity from 600,000 square feet to more than 1.2 million square feet in 2022. Development is currently underway for new state-of-the-art greenhouse facilities in Seagoville, TX (outside Dallas); Monroe, GA (outside Atlanta); and Windsor, CO, as well as the expansion of its existing greenhouses in Chicago and Providence, RI. Upon completion, the company will own and operate 12 high-tech, climate-controlled hydroponic greenhouses across eight states, joining its existing greenhouse network in New York, Rhode Island, Maryland, Illinois, Colorado, and California.
We recently caught up with Viraj Puri, co-founder and CEO of Gotham Greens, to learn more about the company’s expansion plans and how they will affect long-term leafy greens production at the company.
Greenhouse Grower (GG): How did Gotham Greens select these new greenhouse sites?
Puri: Gotham Greens’ expansion into the South with new greenhouses in Texas and Georgia, along with the expansions of our existing greenhouse footprints in Colorado, Illinois, and Rhode Island, illustrate a huge step forward in achieving our ultimate goal of growing fresh produce that can be delivered within less than a day’s drive for most U.S. consumers. Texas and Georgia represent two of the largest and fastest-growing populations, so the decision to build new greenhouses in these locations was an obvious choice.
By doubling our greenhouse capacity and moving into brand new regions of the country, Gotham Greens will expand our retail sales and meet the growing demand for greenhouse-grown produce across the U.S. Gotham Greens’ new, state-of-the-art greenhouses will enable us to significantly increase store count while continuing to serve several of the country’s largest grocery retailers on a national and regional scale, including Whole Foods Market, The Kroger Co., Albertsons Companies, Sprouts Farmers Market, and many more.
GG: What are Gotham Greens’ plans for expanding existing greenhouses?
Puri: Increasing our operational capacity at our existing greenhouses in Chicago and Providence will allow Gotham Greens to continue serving our valued customers and meet the growing demand for greenhouse-grown produce in cities across America. In addition, our expanded footprint in Chicago will provide additional space for research and development as we continue to expand our leafy greens product offerings.
GG: What are the company’s strategic growth goals for 2022?
Puri: Looking ahead, our goal is to bring the Gotham Greens brand to more regions across the country. In addition to continuing to expand our line of fresh salad greens and herbs, we’re also expanding our line of exciting fresh food products that celebrate plant-based ingredients as the main hero and inspiration, including salad dressings, dips, and cooking sauces. In fact, we recently launched two dairy-free salad dressings – Vegan Ranch and Vegan Caesar – which are available in Whole Foods and Sprouts stores nationwide, as well as regional grocery stores.
Last year, Gotham Greens became a Certified B Corp., which came at a pivotal time for our company as we celebrated our 10th anniversary in operation, the official opening of our first West Coast greenhouse, and our expansion plans that will propel our future growth. B Corp Certification is the only third-party accreditation that measures a company’s entire social and environmental performance. The certification adds in additional layers of accountability and transparency for our employees, customers, retail and foodservice partners, and investors as we continue to innovate our food system to build a better future for generations to come – we look forward to continuing the work that we have started with this certification.
GG: Will the technology within the new greenhouses be the same as the others, or is there anything new you’re adding?
Puri: Our newest facilities have the most advanced technology yet, with enhanced automation, climate control, and data science capabilities. Since our launch in 2011, Gotham Greens has grown from a single urban rooftop greenhouse in Brooklyn, NY, to a multi-state greenhouse operator and one of the largest hydroponic leafy green producers in North America. Gotham Greens has continued to push the boundaries of greenhouse facility design incorporating industry-leading advancements in hardware and software, all designed to maximize efficiency and reduce natural resource requirements. The advanced level of technology in our greenhouses allows us to grow lettuce using up to 95% less water and 97% less land compared to conventional field agriculture. For example, our unique irrigation techniques use less than 1 gallon of water to grow a head of lettuce compared with up to 10 gallons used in conventional open-field farming. In addition, all of our new greenhouse facilities will utilize re-sealable lidded film packaging, which enables Gotham Greens to reduce plastic packaging by more than 30%.
We are seeing increased investment in research and development toward new technology and automation systems for greenhouses and this investment is vital to improve productivity and crop yields while reducing costs in greenhouse operations.
GG: What steps have you taken to make sure crop production is consistent across all your greenhouses?
Puri: At Gotham Greens, we believe that growing plants is half art and half science. Growing in a greenhouse gives our expert farmers complete control of the growing environment, allowing Gotham Greens to create ideal conditions for our plants to thrive, which results in consistent, reliable yields of nutrient-dense and long-lasting produce. Through our automated systems and sensors, we can ensure that temperature, humidity and light levels, as well as air composition, are exactly the right balance and maintain the perfect growing conditions for our plants year-round across all of our greenhouse facilities.
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