Vertical Harvest plants plans for a new location in Westbrook, Maine. The 70,000-square-foot Westbrook building will be five times the size and two stories higher than the original Jackson location. Vertical Harvest is a hydroponic urban farm that hires people with different abilities to source fresh produce to local communities. According to co-founder and CEO Nona Yehia, this is one step closer to a more sustainable and stable future.
“We build healthy people, communities and economies – and they’re all intertwined.”
CEO Nona Yehia
Vertical agriculture uses less land than traditional farms. They harvest 40% more crops, use 75-95% less water and base their farm in urban communities to reduce long distant transportation and source jobs locally.
“People want to know their farmers and they want to support their own communities. And what better way than giving people a chance to, you know, build a career in a really fast growing industry?”
CEO Nona Yehia
The mission and practices established in Jackson will continue and grow in Maine, however, Yehia said the building will be less of a greenhouse and more simplified as they expand. The biggest difference between the two, however, is that they won’t be growing tomatoes. Backyard Farms in Maine grows hydroponic tomatoes, and Yehia does not want to interfere with their business.
“We’ve always set out to not compete with local farmers, but to complement what is being grown.”
CEO Nona Yehia
In addition to their New England expansion, Vertical Harvest now offers four different varieties of cut greens at Albertsons and Whole Grocer. This not only makes locally grown greens accessible to restaurants and businesses, but home cooks can experiment with microgreens, colorful tomatoes and spring mixes.
Here are Yehia’s favorite microgreens:
- Sunflower Microgreens
- Sorrel Microgreens
- Daikon Radish Microgreens
