Square Roots, an indoor farming operation, and Gordon Food Service, a food distributor in North America, announced the opening of a new climate-controlled indoor farm in Shepherdsville, Kentucky.
Since establishing their strategic partnership in 2019, the two companies have been building indoor farms together across the continent to bring locally-grown food to customers at a global scale. In the past year alone, Square Roots has deployed new, co-located farms on Gordon Food Service distribution centers in Kenosha, Wisconsin; Springfield, Ohio and now Shepherdsville, Kentucky.
In the past year, Square Roots has deployed new, co-located farms on Gordon Food Service distribution centers in Kenosha, Wisconsin; Springfield, Ohio, and Shepherdsville, Kentucky.
"Together, we've tripled our aggregate growing capacity this year while entering three new strategic markets across America's heartland," said Tobias Peggs, co-founder and CEO of Square Roots. "This expansion is purely driven by customer demand. It's been enabled by our scalable smart-farm platform — which we've shown can be replicated in multiple new locations quickly and cost-effectively."
The newest facility showcases the latest version of the company's platform, which increases yields by 30 percent and features a range of automation technologies for key functions, including seeding, harvesting, and sanitization. Inside the farm, the local team uses Square Roots' proprietary software to manage every aspect of growing—from planning production tasks to monitoring plant health.
Meanwhile, all Square Roots farms are USDA Harmonized GAP+ Certified for the highest levels of food safety, and it grows a wide variety of fresh greens, including herbs like Basil, Dill, Parsley, and Cilantro; microgreens; and salad mixes.
Square Roots' product lineup includes Spring Mix, Basil, Dill, and Parsley.
"Together, we are making locally grown, fresh produce available to our customers all year round, regardless of outdoor weather conditions," said Rich Wolowski, president and CEO of Gordon Food Service. "Each new farm gets us closer to our shared goal of enabling local food at a global scale."
Square Roots' recirculating hydroponic system uses less water and requires less land in comparison with conventional field farms. By deploying a distributed network of local farms in strategic locations like Shepherdsville, it creates less distance between people across America and their food.
The team in Shepherdsville will soon harvest herbs, salad mixes, and microgreens. The facility has been sized to produce over 3 million packages of herbs and leafy greens annually. All of the grower's produce has at least 14 days of extended shelf life, is free of pesticides and GMOs, and is sold in recycled and recyclable packaging.
Square Roots is recruiting in Shepherdsville and the surrounding area and offers ongoing training opportunities for employees in addition to a competitive, equitable compensation package.
For more information:
John Kell
Square Roots
Tel: +1 (856) 816-7113
john.kell@squarerootsgrow.com
https://www.squarerootsgrow.com/
Mark Schurman
Gordon Food Service
media@gfs.com
https://www.gfs.ca/