RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Tuesday announced that AeroFarms, a Certified B Corporation and world leader in indoor vertical farming, will create 66 additional jobs and increase production of freshly grown leafy greens as part of a major operational expansion of its new vertical farm in Pittsylvania County.
The farm, a 138,670-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility, is the world’s largest indoor vertical farm of its kind. The new hiring commitments are in addition to the 92 jobs pledged previously to be located in Cane Creek Centre, a joint industrial park owned by the city of Danville and Pittsylvania County. The expansion is being driven by the company’s decision to expand production to meet increased customer demand. Virginia successfully competed against other states for the project.
“Through today’s announcement, Virginia continues to demonstrate itself as the premier location for companies using technology and innovation to disrupt markets, generating massive benefits to consumers and investors alike, while creating new jobs and economic opportunities for the citizens of the commonwealth,” Youngkin said. “I thank AeroFarms for their continued commitment to the commonwealth and commend Danville-Pittsylvania County for their cooperative and highly effective approach to economic development and business recruitment.”
“We want to thank Gov. Youngkin and the entire state of Virginia for their tremendous support in bringing AeroFarms to Danville, and Danville-Pittsylvania County,” said co-founder and CEO David Rosenberg. “There is an incredible spirit of partnership here that made us feel right at home as we built our latest world-class commercial indoor vertical farm to serve the community with fresh, safely grown, nutritious, and delicious leafy greens all year round.”
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) worked with the Virginia Department of Economic Development (VEDP) and Pittsylvania County to secure this project for Virginia. Youngkin approved a $33,000 grant from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund, which Pittsylvania County will match with local funds. The company is also eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Job Creation Grant program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.
Founded in 2004 and headquartered in New Jersey, AeroFarms aims to grow the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity. AeroFarms has been leading the way to elevate agriculture with people and the planet in mind, helping address climate change by enabling local production with no pesticides ever to grow safe, nutritious, and delicious food all year round. AeroFarms is both a change-the-world technology company and an award-winning brand that is reimagining the way food is grown and celebrating its full FlavorSpectrum of flavorful possibilities.
The new AeroFarms indoor vertical farm in Virginia will distribute primarily to the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast markets with the ability to reach approximately 50 million people located within a day’s drive and over 1,000 retailers. This distribution will build on AeroFarms’ existing relationships with retailers such as Ahold Delhaize, Amazon Fresh, Harris Teeter, The Fresh Market, Weee!, Walmart, and Whole Foods Market.
