NEW YORK — Gotham Greens, one of the fastest growing indoor farming brands, on Tuesday announced the official opening of its second high-tech hydroponic greenhouse in the Mountain Region and the company’s eleventh greenhouse nationwide.
The 140,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility within the Great Western Industrial Park in Windsor, Colorado, is the company’s first of three new greenhouse facilities set to open in 2023. Building on the success of its flagship Denver Metro greenhouse located at Stanley Marketplace in Aurora, which opened in 2020, Gotham Greens’ new Colorado facility is nearly five times larger and will provide even more year-round supply of fresh produce to retail, restaurant, and foodservice customers throughout the region.
Since planting roots in Colorado, Gotham Greens has created more than 85 jobs and has grown to be the leading greenhouse farming brand in the Mountain Region.
“Water is life in Colorado and throughout the Western United States. Unfortunately, without new technologies like Gotham Greens is deploying, Colorado won’t have enough water to sustain the next generation of agriculture jobs or the industry that is a crucial part of the state’s economy,” said Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. “Gotham Greens is an innovative leader in a new era of agriculture that is working to ensure a more sustainable future for Coloradans. With this second greenhouse in the Rocky Mountain Region, the company is making it possible for more Coloradans to eat healthy, fresh, locally grown food, while also conserving the precious resources we need to protect the home we love.”
With up to 80% of its water currently used for agriculture, the Colorado River’s depleted reservoirs are at risk of falling to critically low levels. While the impacts of climate change in Colorado have led to persistent drought conditions, clean and safe water flowing across the state is vital to a healthy community and economy.
"We’re proud to expand the Gotham Greens brand of fresh, high-quality, longer lasting and sustainably grown produce and fresh foods throughout the Mountain Region,” said Viraj Puri, co-founder and CEO of Gotham Greens. “Since our founding in 2009, we have been committed to providing amazing fresh food using new solutions for conserving vital natural resources. By using hydroponic growing systems in high-tech greenhouses, Gotham Greens’ farms use up to 95% less water and 97% less land compared to conventional farming and provide a consistent and proven way of growing food closer to where people live, year-round regardless of the season, altitude, and climate.”
A Certified B Corporation, Gotham Greens’ goal is to be able to deliver Gotham Greens fresh produce within a day’s drive from its greenhouses to 90% of consumers across the U.S. Gotham Greens owns and operates more than 40 acres (1.8 million square feet) of hydroponic greenhouses across 13 locations in nine states, with additional expansion planned for 2024.
"We want consumers everywhere to put more greens at the center of the table, and we remain committed to bringing the best-tasting, most flavorful fresh foods in the category,” Puri said. “From our locally grown salad greens and herbs to our delicious line of dressings, dips, and cooking sauces, we hope consumers can sense our commitment to taste, quality and sustainability in every bite."
As part of Gotham Greens’ continued commitment to sustainability, produce grown at the new facility will be packaged with a resealable lidded film, which reduces plastic packaging by more than 40%. Gotham Greens products are currently available in more than 6,500 retail stores nationally, including more than 250 stores throughout Colorado, such as Whole Foods Market, King Soopers, Sprouts Farmers Market, Leever’s Locavore, Lucky’s Market, Ideal Market, Choice Market and Tony’s Market.
“As a native Coloradan, this new greenhouse represents a significant milestone in our company’s national expansion and for the agricultural future of the state,” said Eric Haley, co-founder and CFO of Gotham Greens. “Natural resource conservation is essential to ensure that the Colorado I call home remains both beautiful and fertile for generations to come. Using proven indoor farming technology, we’re able to transform land that otherwise would be unusable for agricultural purposes into a high-tech, state-of-the-art greenhouse that produces approximately 30 times more leafy greens per acre of land than conventional open-field farming.”
Gotham Greens is dedicated to becoming a permanent fixture in the communities where it operates, including partnering with local non-profits such as Food Bank of the Rockies and the Weld Food Bank, to help address food insecurity. In 2022, the company donated more than 44,000 pounds of food to families in need and provided more than 27,000 seedling donations for community gardens and educational purposes.