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Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS) has announced a new strategic partnership agreement with Long Island-based CubicAcres which will see the grower expand its commercial operations to deliver high-quality, sustainably grown crops for consumption on the East Coast of the USA.
Founded by experienced entrepreneur, Ryan McGann, CubicAcres plans to initially use the IGS vertical farming technology to grow salad crops such as Romaine lettuce to sell into the thriving New York city food service and retail sectors. When fully operational, the eight-tower farm will be capable of producing up to 2.5 million heads of lettuce per year.
Scottish-headquartered IGS has been appointed to deploy eight of its 30-foot-high Growth Tower structures within a qualified opportunity zone on Long Island in New York. The farm will give CubicAcres a precision-controlled indoor ecosystem that is highly flexible, scalable and requires no arable land or soil while bringing investment and new jobs to the region.
Growing close to their end-users will allow CubicAcres to serve a large market which increasingly demands access to nutritious, high-quality produce year-round. Food miles are kept to a minimum and crops can be harvested daily before being delivered fresh without any pesticides or fungicides.
David Farquhar, CEO at IGS, said: “The team at CubicAcres combines a real knowledge and experience of growing in a controlled indoor environment with a passion for embracing the latest in technology to deliver real-world solutions. This project is the perfect example of how a business can pivot their existing approach to meet consumer demand for fresh produce while keeping sustainability, efficiency and flexibility at their heart. We are delighted that CubicAcres has selected IGS as their technology partner and look forward to working together to continue to innovate and deliver a competitive edge for the future.”
Ryan McGann, Founder and CEO of CubicAcres, said: “From my first encounter with IGS, I was impressed with the team’s technological expertise and drive towards continuous innovation.
“New York is 2,800 miles from the primary source of its lettuce, Sonoma Valley, and close to its expiration date when it finally reaches its destination – resulting in a strong demand for local and fresh produce. With the IGS system, we are able to re-create the Sonoma Valley climate here in New York, 365 days of the year, for large scale lettuce production in a hyper-local and sustainable manner.”
Construction will begin on the Long Island site towards the end of 2022, and the farm will be fully operational by early 2023. The project is the first for the partnership, with CubicAcres and IGS set to expand their relationship to deliver highly efficient, customer-focused facilities across a number of sites across the US East Coast.
