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Indoor agriculture company Soli Organic has unveiled what it claims to be its ‘most technologically advanced facility yet’ in San Antonio, Texas, US.
The facility, located in San Antonio’s mixed-use Brooks Community at the site of the former Brooks Air Force Base, spans 140,000 square feet. This includes 100,000 square feet of production, with six vertical layers of growing capacity and 40,000 square feet for processing and packing.
Soli Organic said its new indoor vertical farm will boost San Antonio’s local economy, enhance regional food security with locally grown organic produce, and create more than 100 jobs – including many high-wage and highly skilled tech positions in horticulture and manufacturing.
It aims to meet rising retailer and consumer demand for fresh, high-quality and sustainably grown organic produce across the Texas Triangle and broader southwest region of the US.
The farm will grow over ten different crops, including organic herbs like basil, cilantro and mint. It will also grow salad greens such as spinach, arugula and romaine lettuce. The facility will harness Soli Organic’s soil-based growing system, using automation, specialised lighting, precision organic fertigation and vertical and horizontal space for the highest quality and yield.
Thanks to this set-up, with efficient use of inputs, the facility is designed to enable growing with 90% less water and a tiny fraction of the land used in traditional outdoor farming. It also avoids the volatility of weather and the quality loss associated with extensive food miles. Its technology is designed to keep growing costs low while producing high-quality end products for the consumer.
Matt Ryan, Soli Organic’s chief executive officer, said: “In today's economy, consumers want value, and that's what our new San Antonio facility is designed to deliver”.
He added: “This operation is pivotal to our national growth strategy, exemplifying our commitment to making organic produce accessible through a scalable, sustainable and profitable model”.
Following the successful launch of a new indoor farm in Anderson, South Carolina, Soli Organic revealed it is actively scouting farm locations in the northeast to expand its existing distribution network, which includes more than 20,000 stores across the US. The company’s herbs and greens are available at many Texas retailers, and more new products are planned for sale at additional stores later in 2024.
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