Communications company Cox Enterprises announced a significant strategic investment in Mucci Farms, a greenhouse grower of 60 years with a network of thousands of acres of indoor grown fruits and vegetables.
Cox is committed to partnering with Mucci Farms to scale and meet growing consumer demand. This strategic partnership is the next phase in Cox building multibillion-dollar controlled environment agriculture (CEA) business and establishing Cox as one of the leading providers of sustainable produce across North America.
Sustainable agriculture
This transaction builds on Cox's more than $1 billion investment in sustainable technologies since 2007. Mucci Farms expands Cox's controlled environment agriculture business through a greater variety of sustainably grown produce and enhanced geographic reach.
"Mucci Farms combines its multigenerational farming expertise and technological innovations to grow great-tasting produce," said Steve Bradley, vice president of cleantech, Cox Enterprises. "It's the perfect complement to our expanding footprint in sustainable agriculture, and we look forward to working together with the Mucci Farms team to transform the industry."
Headquartered in Ontario, Canada, Mucci Farms supplies fresh produce to major retailers across Canada and the United States. The industry leader has greenhouses in both countries with a dedicated team of more than 2,000 employees. With annual investments in technology, Mucci Farms places a high emphasis on automation and robotics to improve efficiencies from seed to retail.
The company is committed to sustainability and innovation through every aspect of its operations. This includes award-winning sustainable packaging, an aggressive water recycling program, integrated pest management, and the largest grow light program in the Canadian CEA industry.
"It's humbling to see how far we have come as an organization that was once a small family business," said principals Bert Mucci, Danny Mucci, Gianni Mucci, and Joe Spano in a joint statement. "For several decades, we have had tremendous growth at Mucci Farms to bring us to the forefront of controlled environment agriculture. The core of our organization and success has been rooted in family values across the board, from our internal teams to our partners. We are committed to supporting our customers with products, excellence in execution, and vertically integrated support from seed to retail. We are excited to continue this journey with Cox Enterprises, which shares those values and vision and will support our efforts to provide more communities with fresh produce from coast to coast."
More investments in the greenhouse industry
Last year, US greenhouse company BrightFarms was also acquired by their lead investor, Cox Enterprises. Steve Bradley with Cox CleanTech explained earlier this year Cox is to invest heavily in the CEA industry. "We're looking to scale this east coast to west coast, north to south, and also more broadly than leafy greens, to meet our customers' needs."
Contact:
Natalie Giurato
Director Corporate Communications
Cox Enterprises
PR@coxinc.com