BrightFarms greenhouse in Rochelle is finishing up its 40 percent expansion this month. And it was planned before the company experienced a growth in sales due to COVID-19 and consumers buying more lettuce to eat while staying home.
“Our business is up a bit because of the pandemic,” BrightFarms CEO Steve Platt said. “Overall, if you look at the data across the country, I think produce is up about 10 percent in most grocery stores. Our business is growing in the last month 40-45 percent.”
Platt believes a decentralized supply chain for food makes sense when there are problems all over the country. BrightFarms believes consumers take comfort knowing their food comes from within a day’s drive, as all of its lettuce does.
The Rochelle greenhouse opened in 2016 to serve midwest markets like Chicago and Milwaukee. Its first harvest since expansion should be coming in the next week or two.
Read more at Ogle County News.