Salad Days

Greenswell Growers "farming" on Hockett Road

Supply chain issues, the latest disruption to what we used to consider normal, threaten most aspects of our daily lives. We give little thought to the origin of foods grown far away until they disappear from the grocery store. People who live in “food deserts” have little access to fresh produce.

Using an innovative approach to agriculture, Greenswell Growers aims to address those concerns with locally grown leafy greens produced in a new large scale indoor facility on Hockett Road in eastern Goochland.

According to Greenswell’s president Carl Gupton, most leafy greens consumed in America are grown in either California or Arizona and trucked to their destination. After traveling thousands of miles to our tables, this produce has been out of the field for a while and is a bit tired around the edges.

Greenswell’s leafy greens by contrast, should hit local—defined as a 250-mile radius from Hockett Road—grocery shelves less than 24 hours after harvest.

Growing greens in an efficient manner—the controlled environment facility yields approximately 25 times more per acre than traditional methods—is a wiser use of resources. Leafy greens, however, are just the starting place for Greenswell’s vision. Its motto is “little greens, big heart”.

“Providing locally grown, delicious, and sustainable leafy greens that are good for you, your family, our community, and the planet” is Greenswell’s goal.  The company pledges to give five percent in-kind donations to organizations like Feedmore (feedmore.org) and GoochlandCares (goochlandcares.org) that fight food insecurity.

Founders Chuck Metzger, Doug Pick, and John May used expertise they gained in corporate careers to find innovative ways to combat hunger. Metzger, according to the Greenswell website (Greenswellgrowers.com) believes healthy food nourishes body, mind, soul, and the community.

Working closely with Feedmore (Pick is its CEO), members of the Greenswell team use their complementary skills to translate the concept of a large scale indoor growing facility into reality.

Gupton has expertise in packaging and “bringing bold projects to life”. Packaging coordinator Kevin Barrett combines culinary experience with experience in sustainable controlled environment agriculture.  Virginia Tech grad Nicole Salinas applies her degree in food science and technology to ensure the safety and quality of the leafy greens. Grower Gus Brennan, a graduate of Cornell University’s world-renowned school of Agriculture and Life Sciences, has expertise in the conjunction of controlled environment agriculture and the interaction of sustainability and food systems, which further enhances the enterprise.

All of the equipment is from Europe, said Gupton. “They’re way ahead of us in hydroponic food production and have been doing this on a large scale for a long time because land is scare there.” Food grown in an indoor controlled environment is not subject to predation by insects, animals, or the vagaries of weather. Careful control of environmental conditions including temperature, light, humidity, and nutrient enriched irrigation creates optimal growing conditions. For instance, sensors turn the lights on and close the roof to prevent light leakage.

A carefully controlled environment provides optimal growing conditions

Thanks to Covid, there were a few bumps along the way, but the first test crop was planted in September and recently harvested. The growing season in the greenhouse is 21 days from planting to package, to plate.

Gupton expects the first Greenswell products, priced competitively, to be available in most local grocery stores in the near future.

Production began with green leaf lettuce, the first phase of the first greenhouse. Colored lettuce and red and green kale will be added to the growing operation as the operation gears up. Gupton said that other crops are under consideration for future phases.

Human hands never touch the greens. This prevents outbreaks of food borne disease that can plague field grown produce. Seeds are planted in growing channels filled with a peat moss based growing medium then irrigated with nutrient enriched water. The greens are harvested by a machine that severs the roots from the leaves and deposits them in a package.  Left over growing medium goes to local farmers to enrich their soils. Water is recycled as much as possible, using 95 percent less than traditional methods.

Efficient production of food with an eye to safety and quality is part of the operation on every level. Sanitation protocols are in effect throughout the facility. Before entering the viewing hall for the greenhouse, everyone must don a Tyvek coat, wash their hands, and walk through a disinfectant solution.

Each aspect of the Greenswell operation is continually evaluated to improve efficiency. Packaging uses minimal plastic. Instead of a full clamshell, Greenswell uses a resealable plastic membrane for the cover. This keeps the greens fresher longer and uses approximately 30 percent less plastic than a two piece clamshell. Gupton estimates that a roll of the membrane is equivalent to a pallet of clamshells. He said that Greenswell is researching ways to further reduce its use of plastic.

Greenswell nourishes young minds by sharing its expertise with students in the Goochland High School Career and Technical Education (CTE) program to grow the next generation of controlled environment farmers.

Bruce Watson, Director of CTE at Goochland High School said that Greenswell has involved several CTE programs in their operation since its inception.  They offered to include students in internships and host classes for field trips and be guest speakers at CTE classes.

Watson said that Greenswell have been “awesome business partners to date and I’m sure that will grow in time to come. The Greenswell operation shows students how hydroponics operate on a massive scale for commercial purposes.  We are fortunate to have a business like Greenswell locate here and get involved with our schools”

Currently, CTE students in the agricultural arts program grow hydroponic lettuce on a small scale for donation to GoochlandCares and in the GHS cafeteria salad bar pre covid. The culinary arts program grows its own herbs for use in cooking classes.”

Gupton said that Greenswell initially planned to locate in the Northern Neck but met resistance there. Friends who operate the Hardywood Park Craft Brewery in West Creek suggested Goochland as a possible location. “Goochland has been welcoming and wonderful to work with, “Gupton said.

Look for leafy greens grown with love in Goochland.

.