Making it easy

Photos courtesy of Buckeye Fresh

Medina, Ohio-based vertical farming company Buckeye Fresh prides itself on quality. With its products — a line of leafy greens and basil — sold in retailers such as Heinen’s and Giant Eagle, they need to grow the best quality produce.

“We grew over 650,000 pounds of lettuce last year and that’s multiple SKUs,” says director of research and technology Corey Remington. “That’s a family pack and 5 oz. containers and we do private labeling for Giant Eagle. And we still have room to grow. And we are constantly working on improving our growing methods.”

The different solutions Jiffy offers, as well as constant support, is why Remington says Buckeye Fresh relies on Jiffy.

“Jiffy has been a great partner for us since the beginning,” Remington says. “We met with them locally and they guided us through various products. And it’s all yield-based results, trying to move what we do forward.” In Buckeye Fresh's time working with Jiffy, they've used several solutions, including a custom mix.

“They’ve been able to help us identify and source substrates and Performa (Jiffy's bonded media) that have always given us good performance,” Remington says. “Even during the pandemic when things got tight and there was limited availability, they’ve always been able to keep us supplied and sourced and help us pick the right product and get it to us and keep us running.”

Paired with improved growing techniques, Remington says Buckeye Fresh has consistent quality plant growth using Jiffy products. The mix they use now, he says, is great for Buckeye Fresh's specific growing environment.

“We’re always looking to tinker and adjust to find what works best,” Remington says. “It’s performed even better than what we used before. The Jiffy team is always willing to help with that process.”

Jiffy's customer support team is another reason why Buckeye Fresh values Jiffy as a partner. There have abeen on-site visits to Medina to look at what’s going on at the farm. Remington says that, when Jiffy launches new products that might fit at Buckeye Fresh, samples are sent out directly to the farm so trailing can take place.

Between on-site visits from the territory manager and communication from the customer service team, Jiffy maintains an excellent service level. Without top-quality growing media, the quality and quantity of produce Buckeye Fresh would not be possible.

“We’ve always been happy [working with them],” Remington says. “Jiffy always listens to our needs. It’s never gone backwards.”