Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/838473
BY JULIA CHANG The co-founder and chief marketing officer of AeroFarms, a self-proclaimed plant whisperer, discusses how his vertical farm is effecting big change with minimal impact to natural resources. W hen you think about farming, you prob- ably tend to imagine vast acres of land that need to be plowed and harvested. But AeroFarms, a vertical-farming company based in Newark, N.J., wants to change that perception. The seeds of the company started in 2004 based on the work of Cornell University professor Ed Harwood, who developed aeroponic technology that made it possible to grow crops inside without soil or sunlight—and using just a fraction of the water and space needed for field farming. Initially the company focused on selling its technology, but in 2011 pivoted to owning and oper- ating its own indoor farms, creating AeroFarms as it exists today. Chief Marketing Officer Marc Oshima, who co-founded AeroFarms with Harwood and CEO David Rosenberg, recently spoke with Specialty Food Magazine to discuss how the company is fulfilling its mission to move its brand of farming into the mainstream. PHOTOS: AEROFARMS 72 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com q&a Marc Oshima, AeroFarms Helping a Food Desert Flourish