Hitting the shelves

Bowery greens now sold at kosher retailer

In February, New York-based vertical farming company Bowery announced that it had begun working with Kayco, a kosher retail and food service company based in New Jersey.

Five Bowery products will be sold at Kayco stores: Baby Butter, Romaine, Crispy Leafy, Mixed Greens and Spring Mix. Each product will be sold under the Bowery Mehadrin brand; Mehadrin means sticking to the most stringent level of kosher supervision.

“We are extremely proud of our newly formed relationship with Bowery. Supplying fresh produce to our respective communities has been our goal for a while now. We recognized that state-of-the-art logistics, world-class tracking and speed to market would be crucial to the success in this category,” said Charles Herzog, president, Kayco. “Bowery has been a great partner in working with us to adapt our special kosher standards and shipping schedules to pull this off, and we believe this will have a significant positive impact on the availability of fresh leafy greens in our market to a highly receptive consumer.”

GoodLeaf Farms, Unfold working on spinach and leafy greens R&D

Announced at Indoor Ag-Con 2023, Canadian vertical farming company GoodLeaf Farms and plant genetics company Unfold are working together to bring spinach and other leafy greens to market.

“Now that we have a solid foundation in place for our operations, it’s the perfect time to partner with Unfold,” said Barry Murchie, GoodLeaf president and CEO. “Having the right seeds to ensure our success is crucial as we grow our operations throughout Canada and help the country lessen its dependence on imported produce. Unfold will help us make that goal possible.”

Other companies Unfold is working with include Bowery and Singapore vertical farm Sustenir.

The partnership announcement comes as GoodLeaf is expanding out of its base in Ontario. New farms are being built in Calgary and Montreal, and both are expected to be operational by the end of 2023.

Gotham Greens to be sold at over 1,000 Kroger locations

Gotham Greens’ partnership with grocery chain Kroger is expanding in 2023, with Gotham’s products now to be sold in over 1,000 stores. Previously, Gotham products were available in more than 300 stores. The expansion efforts will be completed by the end of 2023.

Additionally, Gotham’s line of plant-based dips, cooking sauces and dressings will be sold at over 2,000 Kroger locations.

“Kroger and Gotham Greens share a commitment to building a more resilient and equitable food system, putting people and our planet at the forefront of everything we do,” said Viraj Puri, cofounder and CEO of Gotham Greens. “With increasing climate and supply chain related issues facing our food system, it’s more important than ever to bring innovative farming solutions that grow high-quality produce while using fewer precious natural resources. Gotham Greens is growing fast, and we look forward to bringing our brand to new markets in the coming months.”