Since officially opening last April, its Future Farms facility in Gisborne has allowed it to grow salad greens 52 weeks of the year. The innovative greenhouse technology essentially means they control the weather, its manager Billy Stackhouse told Country Life.
"You have more security every week of supply with something like this," he said.
Stackhouse has been with Leaderbrand for close to a fifth of the company's 50-year history. He said it's been exciting to be part of the changes, including overseeing the Future Farms site coming together, which will help the team make "data-driven decisions" and grow better quality produce, more consistently.
The greenhouse requires no additional heating during the winter months, instead trapping warmth from the sun. When Country Life visited, temperatures inside ranged between 33-34C, while outside it was several degrees cooler at 28C. There are ways to manage the hot temperatures, as Stackhouse explained.
Read more at RNZ
