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Fresh leafy greens grown in Bibb County greenhouse are being shipped to chains such as Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Ingles, Kroger and Walmart.
Credit: BrightFarms
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This Macon greenhouse focused on tech, sustainability now serves across the Southeast
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BrightFarms, a national indoor farming company that focuses on sustainability, now has its greenhouse in Macon shipping to grocery retailers across the Southeast.
The new shipping agreements will significantly cut down on transportation distances. BrightFarms will put its products in chains such as Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Ingles, Kroger and Walmart.
Jess Soare, senior director of marketing at BrightFarms’ senior director of marketing, told The Telegraph that “90% of packaged salads in the US are grown on the West Coast of the US, and they spend 7-10 days on a truck before arriving in Atlanta.”
“By growing just a couple hours outside of Atlanta, we dramatically reduce the amount of shipping miles and associated emissions by distributing our product to a radius just a few hours outside of the greenhouses rather than days,” Soare said in an email.
This also offers peak freshness for customers, as the leafy greens are delivered to retailers in as little as 24 hours of harvest, according to a news release from Cox Enterprises, the parent company of BrightFarms.
The Macon greenhouse opened in late 2024 and grows leafy greens, including a baby romaine and baby butter leaf, a green leaf lettuce called Sunny Crunch, and a red leaf lettuce and frisee-style lettuce that are included in some of their mixes.
“BrightFarms’ entire mission is to create a more sustainable method for growing produce,” said Soare.
Some of BrightFarms’ sustainability initiatives include avoiding pesticides, herbicides or fungicides, employing a rainwater capture program, using 100% recycled plastic in packaging and 100% recyclable trays, investing in reusable equipment and composting organic waste, according to Soare.
“We capture rainwater from the greenhouse roofs and store and filter it for use later in our grow operations,” Soare said. “Additionally, we recycle water to reduce our overall incoming water needs.”
In efforts to help meet their sustainability goals, BrightFarms partnered with two innovators in the greenhouse industry, KUBO Sustainable Greenhouses and Green Automation, to help increase productivity and efficiency while ensuring a reliable supply of fresh produce to consumers.
BrightFarms implemented KUBO’s Ultra-Clima technology, which uses a semi-closed loop system to establish optimal growing conditions year-round while minimizing energy and water usage and CO2 emissions as well as improving food safety, according to KUBO’s website.
They also implemented Green Automation’s high-tech lettuce growing systems.
“The growing systems are designed to achieve the highest efficiency in the greenhouse, making it possible to complete the entire growing cycle without the touch of a human hand,” the Green Automation website reads. “Our open gutter system, allowing for continuous seeding and eliminating transplanting needs, is one example of how we are re-engineering growing processes.”
Once the greenhouse is fully built, it will span over 1.5 million square feet and employ over 250 locals, according to the release.
“To the city of Macon, we are bringing quality full-time jobs across multiple sectors and offer a benefits package for all employees,” Soare said. “To support the greenhouse running efficiently, we also contract with local vendors to supply equipment and maintenance, such as refrigeration and HVAC systems.”
“We couldn’t be more excited to have BrightFarms join our community here in Macon,” said Mayor Lester Miller. “This is a big win for our local economy and a step forward in supporting the health of our residents today and for generations to come.”
The BrightFarms greenhouse in Macon is also home to the first “Cox Farms Discovery Center,” a place to train future greenhouse workers, to support retail partners and to further their mission to provide fresh, accessible produce to all.
“We firmly believe in bringing agriculture back to regions where it once thrived, giving the next generation a new way to engage in farming careers that look different from the past, such as engineers and machine operators,” Soare said.
Cox also partnered with Feeding America at the beginning of this year, according to the release. In Georgia specifically, Cox Farms is working with local organizations, such as Middle Georgia Community Food Bank, to ensure those in need have access to fresh produce.
The location in Macon was the third build for BrightFarms in a six-month period, following “state-of-the-art” greenhouse hubs in Lorena, Texas, and Yorkville, Illinois. With these three regional greenhouse hubs in full operation, BrightFarms can serve two-thirds of Americans with its fresh greens, according to the release.
“We’re thrilled to have started shipping from our first greenhouse in Georgia, expanding access to our pesticide-free leafy greens across the country,” said Abby Prior, chief commercial officer of BrightFarms. “The Southeast is one of the fastest-growing markets for indoor-grown greens, and this facility allows us to meet rising demand with high-quality, locally grown produce.
“We’re also proud to be part of the Georgia Grown program, supporting local agriculture and contributing to the state’s economy,” she said.
This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Macon Telegraph.
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