“Gotham Greens is excited to further expand our greenhouse operations across the country, including to the South for the very first time,” says Viraj Puri, Co-Founder and CEO of Gotham Greens. “Building on the continued growth and momentum that Gotham Greens has sustained over the past several years, we are proud to bring our national brand of sustainably grown salad greens and herbs, plus our versatile, plant-based dressings, dips, and cooking sauces, to more consumers across the country and expand our retail and foodservice distribution in existing markets. Our goal is to deliver Gotham Greens’ fresh produce within a day’s drive from our greenhouses to 90% of consumers across the U.S., and these strategic greenhouse expansion projects bring us closer to this milestone.”
The new greenhouses will enable Gotham Greens to continue serving many of the country’s largest grocery retailers, which continue to see a steady increase in consumer demand for greenhouse-grown produce. Gotham Greens has achieved 28% year-over-year growth (compared to 1% growth year-over-year for the Total Pre-Packaged Salads and Lettuce Categories, per Nielsen, Total US xAOC, Pre-Packaged Salads and Lettuce, Latest 52 Weeks Ending 2/26/22). Through strategic expansion, both national and regional retail partnerships continue to grow with key accounts including Whole Foods Market, The Kroger Co., Albertsons Companies, Sprouts Farmers Market, and more. Gotham Greens currently sells its salad greens, herbs, salad dressings, dips, and cooking sauces in approximately 3,000 stores across 45 U.S. states nationwide.
Gotham Greens is purposefully expanding its operations into U.S. regions that are being impacted by the effects of climate change. In California, where it recently opened a greenhouse in 2021, more than 37 million people are affected by drought, with 87% of the state classified as Severe or Extreme Drought. By using hydroponic growing systems in 100% renewable electricity-powered greenhouses, Gotham Greens’ farms use up to 95% less water and 97% less land compared to conventional farming. The proximity of Gotham Greens’ greenhouses to key metropolitan markets also eliminates the need for long-distance refrigerated transportation while improving product quality and shelf life, and ultimately reducing food waste.