Soli Organic Introduces New Greenhouse-Grown Organic Basil
May 25, 2022 
Soli Organic Inc.’s new line of USDA-certified organic ‘Indolce’ basil is landing on produce aisle shelves in more than 2,000 select stores across more than 15 Mid-Atlantic distribution centers with leading grocery partners. Soli Organic, formerly known as Shenandoah Growers, Inc., is the nation’s only soil-based, controlled environment agriculture (CEA) company delivering 100% USDA certified organic produce to more than 20,000 retail stores nationwide.
Soli Organic’s proprietary soil-based, organic, indoor production system enables the company to unlock the full value of CEA, including considerable cost savings and the ability to grow without the use of artificial substrates or expensive synthetic fertilizers. As a result, ‘Indolce’ basil will be available at nearly a dollar less per ounce on average than field-grown organic produce – demonstrating the true potential of CEA technology.
“We called our new basil ‘Indolce’ because it’s a unique varietal that delivers exactly what consumers dream basil can be: sweet and indulgent, with just a hint of peppery kick. It delivers on our promise of high-quality organic produce that everyone can afford with a better environmental footprint,” says Matt Ryan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Soli Organic. “To consumers, the organic seal is the trusted gold standard for food they can feel good about. We don’t believe they should ever have to settle for anything less, and with products like our indoor, soil-grown Indolce basil, they don’t have to. We’re proud to bring a premium organic product to market at this price point in the current inflationary environment, and this is one of many new comparably priced products we’ll roll out under the Soli Organic brand in the near future.”
The harvest comes out of the company’s newly upgraded soil-based indoor farm located in Elkwood, VA, just an hour outside of Washington, DC. The facility has been completely converted into a modern, high-tech controlled environment facility that will supply more than one million pounds of USDA-certified organic herbs and leafy greens each year.
Soli Organic also announced a $50 million financing arrangement with Horizon Technology Finance, a leading venture lending platform focused on technology, life science, healthcare information and services and sustainability companies, and Bridge Bank, a leading financial resource to innovative companies nationwide. The new joint relationship provides Soli with expanded capital, a key component of the company’s strategy to further grow production capacity to meet rising demand.
“Soli Organic’s advanced solutions and environmentally conscious approach to controlled environment agriculture are bringing game-changing innovation to our food system, and ensuring produce is grown in ways that are more efficient, sustainable and resilient to climate impacts,” says Gerald A. Michaud, President of Horizon. “We are excited to support Soli as it accelerates its indoor farming capacity and deploys next-generation BioFarms across a national platform of operations.”
“As a company with 30 years of outdoor farming experience, it’s exciting to see Soli Organic’s highly successful transition toward indoor soil-based controlled environment agriculture,” says Brian McCabe, senior director in Bridge Bank’s Washington, D.C.-based Technology Banking Group. “We’re pleased to support the incredible new sustainable growing methods they are developing to bring affordable organic produce to market.”
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