Media Kit
Who We Are
BrightFarms designs, finances, builds and operates hydroponic greenhouse farms at supermarkets, eliminating time, distance and cost from the food supply chain.
Our Objective
Better Food, Better Prices, Better Environment
How It Works
BrightFarms finances, builds and operates the greenhouse. Usually we build on the supermarket roof, but sometimes on a nearby building, and sometimes at their distribution center. There is no cost to the retailer.
The supermarket only pays for the produce. They pay the same price they are paying now and often a better price. They sign a long term purchasing contract. We use the long-term contract to finance the capital investment.
Supermarket customer gets a fresher, better product because it was grown locally and delivered within hours, not days. It was grown for taste and not for shelf life.
In the process we save millions of tons of carbon emissions from being released into the atmosphere.
In Numbers
Since December 2010, 10 supermarket chains have signed up to work with BrightFarms including 5 of the top 50 national chains. Our first three commercial greenhouses will open in early 2012
BrightFarms greenhouses cost between $1.5 and $2 million to build, but at no cost to the supermarket
Each Year, a single 1-acre BrightFarms greenhouse is capable of:
- Creating local farm jobs
- Growing up to 500,000 lbs of produce
- Generating $1-$1.5 million in revenue
- Mitigating up to 740 tons CO2 emissions*
- Growing produce with up to 10 times less land and 7 times less water per pound*
- Mitigating up to 430 pounds of pesticides*
- Saving up to 5 million gallons of water*
Why This Matters
- Consumers demand more local and better quality produce
- Supermarkets need to respond – companies like Whole Foods Market are setting new standards in produce retailing – quality and environmental responsibility
- Supermarkets suffer from produce prices volatility as oil prices fluctuate
- Environmental cost of produce trucking too great
- Public health / obesity – urgent need to improve access to quality fresh food
What People Say
Christian Haub, Former Chairman of A&P Supermarkets & Current BrightFarms Advisor
“What attracted me to this [BrightFarms] idea is that it solves a number of issues that retailers are currently dealing with. It reduces the number of food miles for some of their produce items, it reduces their carbon footprint and it gives them a local source for high-quality food.”
Key Words
Urban Agriculture, Local Food, Environmental Sustainability, Controlled Environment Agriculture, Food Safety, Green Economy, Produce Quality,
Past Projects
Manhattan School for Children, Manhattan, NY
- Environmental education center and local food production greenhouse on the roof of the Manhattan School for Children
- Designed and installed a demonstration scale greenhouse, for on site production of high quality, fresh herbs
- Prototype sustainable urban farm and environmental education center
Key People
Paul Lightfoot, CEO
Ted Caplow, Chairman
Christian Haub, Senior Advisor
Press Articles About Us
See our full press archive
Images
Our BrightFarms Flickr page contains a wide range of high resolution images of our past projects, as well as renderings of our projects under development. Journalists are welcome to download these images for publication. Please, however, ensure to credit all images to: www.brightfarms.com
Please feel free to request other images if required.
Further Information & Interviews
We welcome requests for additional information and are happy to arrange interviews with our senior staff as well as tours of existing facilities. Please contact us to discuss:
Kate Siskel
Marketing & Press Associate
ksiskel [AT] brightfarms.com
Note:
*Figures based on a 1 acre greenhouse located in Chicago, IL, compared with produce grown using conventional field agriculture and trucked to market in Chicago.
