Indoor farming specialist Square Roots opens new facility in Kentucky

Square Roots, a technology company in indoor farming, and Gordon Food Service, one of the largest food distributors in North America, have announced the opening of a new climate-controlled, indoor farm in Shepherdsville, Kentucky.

Since establishing their strategic partnership in 2019, Square Roots and Gordon Food Service have been building indoor farms together across the continent—with the ultimate aim of bringing locally grown food to customers at a global scale. In the past year alone, Square Roots has deployed new, co-located farms on Gordon Food Service distribution centers in Kenosha, Wisconsin; Springfield, Ohio; and now Shepherdsville, Kentucky.

“Working with Gordon Food Service, we’ve tripled our aggregate growing capacity this year while entering three new strategic markets across America’s heartland,” commented Tobias Peggs, Co-Founder & CEO of Square Roots. “This rapid expansion is purely driven by customer demand for our locally-grown food. And it’s been enabled by our scalable smart-farm platform – which we’ve shown can be replicated in multiple new locations, quickly and cost effectively.”

The new Shepherdsville facility showcases the latest version of the Square Roots platform, which increases yields by 30% and features a range of automation technologies for key functions including seeding, harvesting, and sanitization. Inside the farm, the local team uses Square Roots’ proprietary software to manage every aspect of growing – from planning production tasks to monitoring plant health. Meanwhile, all Square Roots farms are USDA Harmonized GAP+ Certified for the highest levels of food safety.

“Together, Gordon Food Service and Square Roots are making locally grown, fresh produce available to our customers all year round, regardless of outdoor weather conditions,” added Rich Wolowski, President & CEO of Gordon Food Service. “Each new farm we open gets us closer to our shared goal of enabling local food at a global scale.”

Square Roots’ recirculating hydroponic system uses far less water, and requires far less land, in comparison with conventional field farms. And by deploying a distributed network of local farms in strategic locations like Shepherdsville, Square Roots creates less distance between people across America and their food, reducing food miles and minimizing food waste.

The Square Roots team in Shepherdsville will soon be harvesting long-lasting herbs, nutritious salad mixes, and chef-favorite microgreens. The facility has been sized to produce more than three million packages of herbs and leafy greens annually. All Square Roots produce has at least 14 days of extended shelf life, is completely free of pesticides and GMOs, and is sold in recycled and recyclable packaging.

Square Roots is recruiting locally in Shepherdsville and the surrounding area, opening exciting careers in the high-tech agriculture industry. Square Roots offers extensive ongoing training opportunities for employees, in addition to a compensation package that is competitive and equitable, including benefits and stock options.