Pioneering sustainable agriculture startup Radicle Farm Company has raised $600,000 in their first round of funding, which closed at the beginning of October, 2015. Their seed round includes $200,000 from the Fair Food Network. Radicle Farm will use the capital to continue to expand their innovation in the field of indoor agriculture and living salad greens.
Radicle Farm has been recognized by Civil Eats, Refinery29, Edible Manhattan, Edible Jersey, SeedStock and Garden Collage, as a major disruptor to the bagged and boxed salads industry due to the “Radicle Salad.”
The Radicle Salad is a tray of living greens in toxin-free soil that consumers can snip, eat and even regrow at home, with double the shelf life of a conventional salad product. Thanks to the Radicle Salad, retailers like Whole Foods Market are reimagining their produce sections and reducing food waste.
Originally founded in an 1,800 square-foot greenhouse in Northern New Jersey, in 2015 Radicle Farm opened a 50,000-square-foot greenhouse in Utica, NY, increasing their growing space by nearly 30 times. They are now providing living salad greens to thousands of consumers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Partnerships with Field Goods, Union Square Greenmarket and fine dining institutions such as Gramercy Tavern, Locanda Verde, Northern Tiger and Amali have expanded the reach of the Radicle Salad to consumers and chefs alike.
“Radicle points the way to a new frontier for the good food movement, which tackles quality, safety, and resource conservation simultaneously. We’re excited to work with their great leadership team to scale this innovative business model,” said Alex Linkow, program director of the Fair Food Fund, which offers funding for food entrepreneurs that promote local and sustainable food.
In 2014, Radicle Farm won the 2014 Editor’s Choice NEXTY award at Natural Products Expo East. The coveted NEXTY award highlights brands and companies considered thought leaders and innovators in the natural products industry.
“This pioneering new brand sells sustainable green-house grown, root-intact lettuces packaged in compost and wrapped in a recyclable sleeve. The result is a living plant that boasts twice the shelf life of bagged salad products and still tastes fresh, crunchy and delicious. Food waste: you’ve met your match,” said Jenna Blumenfeld, Senior editor at New Hope Natural Media.
Radicle Farm Company’s mission is to continue to disrupt the produce section of the grocery store, eventually moving on to the American kitchen - focusing on keeping food alive and growing right up at the moment it is eaten and reducing food waste.
The team
Christopher Washington, Managing Director, has co-founded three farms totalling over 200,000 sq.ft. across traditional and hydroponic grow space on two continents.
James Livengood, Director of Production, has managed the production of more than 15 tons of produce across Radicle’s various production facilities, implementing an innovative grow system.
Tony Gibbons, Director of Finance, is a Union Square Hospitality Group Alum who co-founded one of the first hydroponic farms in urban New Jersey focused on helping employment-challenged populations such as ex-offenders, developmentally-disabled adults, and at-risk adolescents.
For more information
Radicle Farm Company
Tony Gibbons
Mobile: 201.615.2582