Lisbon, Maine — Springworks, the largest and first certified organic anhydrous farm in New England, today announced plans to add 500,000 square feet of greenhouse space.
The large-scale expansion will continue to serve the largest customers of Maine Farms, Whole Foods Supermarket and Hannaford Supermarket, as well as numerous local restaurants, shops and other stores. These factories will supply Springworks with certified fresh organic lettuce.
The first 40,000 square foot greenhouse will be put into use in May 2021, which will triple the company’s annual output of Bibb, romaine lettuce, lettuce, salad dressing and other products, and thousands of pounds of tilapia. , Which is vital to Springworks' growth process of aquaponics.
The founder of Springworks, 26-year-old Trevor Kenkel, founded the farm in 2014 at the age of 19, and he attributes most of today's growth to increased orders from supermarkets in response to COVID-19.
The pandemic has caused a lot of damage to grocery stores and the buyers who support them. Shipping delays from West Coast suppliers are forcing supermarket buyers to look for local and regional sources for a variety of safe, nutritious and sustainable foods. At Springworks, our ecosystem-centric approach provides services in all aspects. This method uses 90% less water than other methods, does not use synthetic pesticides, and allows us to produce delicious, fresh green vegetables all year round. And fish. "Kenkel said.
When the pandemic became popular in 2020, Whole Foods purchased Springworks to store/shelf loose lettuce products to meet the huge demand for organic lettuce from consumers in the Northeast. Many grocery stores have experienced the instability of West Coast suppliers due to shipping delays and other cross-border supply and delivery issues.
Hannaford expanded the distribution of Springworks lettuce from New England to stores in the New York area. Hannaford began shipping Springworks lettuce in a few stores in Maine in 2017, when the chain was looking for local lettuce substitutes in California, Arizona and Mexico.
Within two years, Springworks' service and quality inspired Hannaford to expand its distribution in all stores in Maine. Moreover, when the flu pandemic and consumer demand soared, Hannaford added Springworks to its New York store.
Mark Jewell, Hannaford’s agricultural product category manager, said: “Springworks will carefully check every box when meeting our lettuce supply needs and achieving zero food waste. Starting with its fish-vegetable symbiosis approach, we will grow greener, more nutritious Fresh produce." "Their consistent quality and originality also left us a deep impression. These factors, coupled with their excellent food safety practices, year-round availability and proximity to our distribution center, made us choose Springworks Instead of choosing field-grown products that are shipped across the country, it becomes easier."
In addition to products including Springworks' Organic Baby Green Romaine lettuce, Hannaford also replaced their existing organic green leaf lettuce with the Springworks brand, which can produce the right amount of crispy lettuce for a single salad or smoothie.
Kenkel and his sister Sierra Kenkel's vice president have been around since the beginning. He has been researching and developing new varieties that will meet the business needs of retailers and meet the lifestyle and nutritional needs of consumers.
"Consumers who value quality and transparency are asking supermarkets for organic products from local food producers," said Sierra, who is in charge of Springworks sales and marketing.
"From seeds to sales, we are working hard to provide the freshest and most delicious lettuce that stores such as Whole Foods and Hannaford expect, and what their customers deserve. We look forward to dialogue with other major supermarket chains in the Northeast because we The new greenhouse will further enhance our ability to grow delicious, nutritious, and certified organic lettuce-and the year-round rights to operate specialty green vegetables and herbs in the future. In Maine."
Springworks was founded in 2014 by CEO Trevor Kenkel when he was only 19 years old. He was a hydroponic greenhouse grower in Lisbon, Maine, producing certified organic lettuce and tilapia all year round. Fish-vegetable symbiosis is a kind of agriculture that promotes the natural symbiotic relationship between plants and fish. Compared with soil-based agriculture, the Springworks hydroponic system uses 90-95% less water, and the company's proprietary system has a yield per acre that is 20 times higher than that of traditional farms.
Fish and vegetable symbiosis is a breeding technique in which fish and plants support each other's growth in a closed system. The nutrient-rich water obtained from fish farming is pumped into the growth bed to feed the plants. These plants in turn clean the water and then return it to the fish. Unlike other systems (including hydroponics), no chemicals are required. Despite the many advantages of hydroponics, there are only a few commercial hydroponics greenhouses in the United States.
Post time: Apr-20-2021
