Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Beanstalk Farms Inc.’s second indoor farm and distribution facility at the Freedom I-66 Industrial Business Park in Manassas. The project includes 18 new jobs and a capital investment of $4.1 million. Beanstalk Farms expects to produce 2.1 million pounds annually of Virginia Grown leafy greens and fresh-cut herbs.
"Congratulations to Beanstalk Farms for their investment in this community and in Virginia," said Governor Youngkin. “I am pleased that the Commonwealth’s pro-business climate and partnerships with state and local governments continue to be a factor in securing and scaling up innovative projects such as this. Consumers continue to demand sustainable, locally grown food and increasing the number of indoor farms provides another mechanism of meeting demand and ensuring a more resilient food system.”
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) worked with the Prince William County Department of Economic Development and Tourism (PWCDEDT) to secure this new 33,000 square foot expansion project for the Commonwealth. Governor Youngkin approved a $100,000 grant from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund, which Prince William County will match with local funds.
"We are excited to announce the launch of our next-generation farm in Manassas," said Mike Ross, Beanstalk Co-Founder and CEO. "At a 10x lower cost per acre than any other vertical farm, this facility demonstrates a new generation for indoor farming. This facility will provide the Greater Washington, D.C. market with the highest quality fresh produce every week of the year - rain or shine. Strategically located with excellent access to the Mid-Atlantic, bolstered by robust infrastructure, Virginia is the definitive choice for our expansion. We look forward to growing together and furthering innovations that promote a healthy and local food system."
Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Herndon, Beanstalk is a soil-based, highly automated indoor vertical farm that utilizes a proprietary growing system designed by its founders, brothers Mike and Jack Ross, to grow a variety of leafy greens and fresh-cut herbs. Beanstalk sources non-GMO seeds from around the world and through a propriety mix of LED-lights, a soil growing medium, and other technologies to produce nutritious, pesticide-free leafy salad mixes, herbs, and microgreens year-round. Centrally located to the markets they serve, Beanstalk optimizes its varieties and production for flavor and health, not transport.
"Our community is thrilled to welcome Beanstalk’s flagship vertical farming production facility to Prince William County," said Chair Deshundra Jefferson, Prince William Board of County Supervisors. "Beanstalk's founders, Jack Ross and Mike Ross, are driving innovation and working to improve our global food system. Our county is proud to be a part of that progress."
Encouraged by their parents to eat fresh, organic produce, the Ross brothers credit their childhood with putting them on an entrepreneurial path.
"By pairing groundbreaking technology with a heartfelt commitment to nutrition, the Ross brothers are improving not only a business model, but also setting their sights on global food systems," said Christina Winn, executive director, PWCDEDT. "Having a soil-based and pesticide-free approach brings new benchmarks to sustainable agriculture – and we want these types of stories in Prince William County."