Gotham Greens has tens of thousands of lettuce and basil plants at its greenhouse in Pullman, creating an emerald sea within the cavernous space. Inside, the warm air smells fresh and fragrant.
The New York-based indoor farming company recently expanded again in Pullman, growing its footprint by about one-third. Gotham Greens earmarked the new space to start its national pilot to grow spinach, adding to the hydroponic basil and lettuce it grows year-round. The 55,000-square-foot addition features newer technology and brings the company’s Pullman greenhouses to a total of 230,000 square feet across two sites.
Spinach is more difficult to grow than lettuce and basil because it’s more sensitive to diseases and takes longer to mature, said Jenn Frymark, chief greenhouse officer for Gotham Greens.
But consumers and commercial buyers are interested in greenhouse-grown spinach because of recent recalls of outdoor-farmed varieties, she said.
The majority of greens cultivated by Gotham go to distribution centers in the Chicago area that supply Whole Foods, Jewel-Osco, Pete’s Fresh Markets, Costco and other groceries, as well as restaurants. For example, Gotham’s basil is served at Sweetgreen locations in Illinois and Coalfire Pizza in Chicago. The Pullman greenhouses also supply distribution centers in Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio.
The company doesn’t share output by facility. But the expansion in Pullman, along with others recently across the U.S., brings its total annual production capacity to nearly 100 million heads of lettuce and herbs.
Frymark said Gotham’s foray into Chicago in 2015 made sense. The city has a large urban population and cold winters, when produce is shipped long distances from warmer climates in California or elsewhere.
“It’s a great second city for us. It checked so many boxes,” Frymark said.
Chicago also had land available, unlike New York where Gotham only has rooftop greenhouses because of space limitations and access to light in the densely-populated city.
Gotham first opened on the roof of the Method’s factory at 720 E. 111th St., after the natural soap maker reached out to the company about the opportunity. At the time, the 75,000-square-foot facility was the world’s largest rooftop greenhouse, according to Gotham.
To meet demand that outstripped supply, Gotham in 2019 opened a second greenhouse nearby. The 100,000-square-foot facility at 10636 S. Woodlawn Ave. is on part of the former Ryerson Steel property.
The company has invested more than $20 million in its two greenhouses, which it said are Chicago’s largest urban agriculture campus. The facilities employ about 100 people, most of whom live on the South Side.
Gotham’s expansion continues the economic revitalization of Pullman. The neighborhood was created in the 1880s as a company town to house workers who made luxury railroad cars at the factory of magnate George Pullman. But over decades, the area fell into industrial decline by 2000.
Gotham uses proprietary technology to increase yields and said it uses 90% less water and 97% less land than conventional farming. Plants receive a constant stream of recycled irrigation water through their roots.
It takes about five weeks to grow lettuce starting from a seedling to a leafy bouquet ready for harvesting. In contrast, Frymark said lettuce grown on outdoor farms typically takes 10 weeks to mature depending on the variety. But there are still plenty of challenges with indoor farming, she said, whether mechanical glitches with climate censors or power outages.
Gotham launched in 2011 with one rooftop greenhouse in Brooklyn, New York. It has raised $440 million in funding since it was founded in 2009. It’s now one of the largest producers of hydroponic leafy greens in North America with more than 40 acres of greenhouses, according to the company.
It has greenhouses in nine states, including New York, Illinois, Rhode Island, Maryland, Virginia, California, Colorado, Georgia and Texas.
Gotham’s products — which includes salad kits, dressings, dips and cooking sauces — are available in more than 6,500 locations nationwide, including Kroger, Sprouts, Albertsons, The Fresh Market, FreshDirect, Publix, Amazon Fresh and more.