NEW YORK, NY - Bowery Farming is headed to Orlando, Florida, and bringing along some new salad kits to boot. The vertical farming company will be showing out at the International Fresh Produce Association’s (IFPA) Global Produce & Floral Show, and I got the inside scoop from Katie Seawell, Chief Commercial Officer.
“We are an industry leader in CEA with a pioneering sustainability mission and a purpose-driven company working to transform non-arable land into modern indoor farmland,” she began. “But, additionally, Bowery is its people—a dynamic group of changemakers who are working to secure the future of food, feed growing populations, and take action about climate change.”
Now serving more than 1,400 grocery stores, the grower is on track to double revenue in 2022, for the second year in a row. Bowery grows 14 SKUs of pesticide-free produce, including leafy greens, herbs, and two types of strawberries. In May, the company began a new chapter in climate-smart agriculture with the opening of its most technologically advanced and sustainable farm yet in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which will help Bowery rapidly scale across the country.
“We are on track to double our number of farms by 2023. We broke ground on two additional commercial farms this year, in the Atlanta, Georgia, and Dallas, Texas, metropolitan areas. These new farms will help meet increasing demand for Bowery’s local, safe, and sustainably grown produce, expanding our reach into new regions in the United States,” Katie told me.
With the launch of its new salad kits, Bowery is expanding its product offerings into the ready-to-eat category. The three SKUs feature forkable greens, bold flavor, and crunchy toppings from pepitas to parm crisps, elevating the plant-forward, grab-and-go salad experience.
“The demand for healthy meals on-the-go is booming, and this September, we introduced three salad kit flavors to provide quick, convenient, plant-forward options that consumers can feel good about eating,” Katie stated. “That ‘feel good’ is twofold: not only the healthy choice of nutritious, pesticide-free greens, but also a planet-positive choice, as our salad kits travel fewer food miles and feature locally grown greens.”
At the event, Bowery will also have its vertically farmed strawberries available—one of its latest innovations.
“By growing strawberries indoors, summer-ripe, pesticide-free berries are now available 365 days a year. Our strawberries showcase the variety of flavor our R&D team can unlock. Instead of launching just one berry, we launched two cultivars for a side-by-side sensory experience unlike anything else on the market,” Katie relayed. “Our Strawberry Discovery Pack demonstrates Bowery’s leadership within indoor plant science innovation.”
For visitors who swing by the Bowery booth, #4443, they will learn that Bowery’s products are pesticide-free and grown indoors with 100 percent renewable energy, independent of weather and climate events. Second, they will hear how Bowery is building a network of smart vertical farms to feed millions of people close to where they live—a key solution to food insecurity and the climate crisis. Ultimately, the supplier is reimagining the entire food supply chain by growing fresh, wildly flavorful produce 365 days a year.
“Part of Bowery’s power is our R&D, breeding, seed selection, and farm design capabilities to bring to market cultivars that don’t thrive outdoors or struggle with long supply chains. Bowery can diversify produce at the shelf and also the flavor profile of products we all know and love; strawberries are a great example of this,” Katie concluded. “And second, Bowery’s ability to do more with less—less water, less land, less waste—and the impact that can have on climate, that’s what gets me through challenging days. We are getting smarter and more sustainable with each farm, and that’s something to be excited about.”
Don’t take our word for it; check out the Bowery booth at the Global Produce & Floral Show and hear about all of this for yourself!
