Eddy Badrina knew he wanted to run a redemptive organization after selling his digital marketing software company BuzzShift in 2016. So, when investors at Eden Green Technology called about joining the company as CEO in 2019, Badrina said yes.
Eden Green’s technology reduces the space needed to grow mass amounts of leafy greens, allowing for farming in urban areas and addressing many problems with other growing methods. Because the operations are typically in outlying areas, it also means longer delivery times. Conversely, traditional vertical farms need an abundance of artificial light to nurture crops on the farm’s lower layers, creating high power demands that drive up costs. “We’ve solved that by combining the best of both worlds - a greenhouse with vertical farming,” Badrina says.
Instead of building out a local produce label for Eden Green, he marketed its technology to other growers. “The vision is to have a mesh network of greenhouses all across the United States,” he says. The company is also adding an 83,000-square-foot vertical greenhouse in Cleburne. When finished in April 2022, it will produce 550 tons of arugula, kale, and spinach per year, with 11 to 13 harvests. Nearly all of the greens are already spoken for. “It’s akin to pre-selling a building and its rent rolls before even breaking ground,” Badrina says.
Next, he aims to bring similar greenhouses to the nation’s top 10 metropolitan areas. “We’re eyeing the Northeast,” Badrina says, adding that he is about to launch a new capital raise to help fund the expansion.
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