Less than a year after Bowery Farming shuttered its 150,000-square-foot vertical farm in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the facility's high-tech equipment is heading to auction. AJ Willner Auctions is conducting the online sale, which opened 4 June and runs through 26 June.
"The facility is state-of-the-art and features a custom, automated vertical farming system," said Harry Byrnes, representative at AJ Willner Auctions. "Many of the key components are highly desirable and valuable in the vertical farming and produce packaging industry. It's hard to put a number on it, but definitely eight figures."
One of two Bowery facilities liquidated
Founded in 2015, Bowery Farming was long considered a frontrunner in the vertical farming space, backed by over $700 million in venture capital from investors including Temasek, Fidelity, and GV (Google Ventures). The company positioned itself as a pioneer in high-tech agriculture, with facilities designed around proprietary software, LED lighting systems, and automation.
But in late 2024, Bowery laid off workers and began a full wind-down of operations after failing to secure further funding or a strategic buyer. The Bethlehem location, which opened in 2022, was among the most advanced in its network.
"This is actually the second Bowery Farming facility our company has liquidated," Byrnes explained. "Back in March, we were retained to liquidate the equipment in the Kearny, New Jersey facility. The majority of buyers were end users like vertical farming startups, greenhouse growers, and cannabis cultivators."
Bethlehem, however, is larger and more complex. "Kearny was less than half the size and had been operating for several years before closure," Byrnes said. "This facility wasn't open long. The equipment seems to be new or almost new."
What's for sale?
Among the hundreds of lots being listed are advanced automation and water treatment systems rarely seen on the secondhand market. Standout items include:
- Koppert produce packaging lines
- Tomra 5B optical belt sorter
- Sormac recipe conveyor
- Ishida Rotobatcher system
- ProSeal automatic packaging line
- Limex washers
- Automated water distribution, reverse osmosis, filtration, and recycling systems
- Vertical grow towers, Fluence LED lighting, and fertigation components
- HVAC and dehumidification infrastructure
- Conveyors, food-grade workstations, and warehouse equipment
These kinds of tools are typically out of reach for early-stage growers or smaller operations.
Auction as access point
"Our auctions offer small companies access to state-of-the-art equipment," said Byrnes. "These companies typically don't have the funds to acquire like-new equipment of this caliber. We tend to have participation from small business owners in various sectors looking to upgrade equipment at deep discounts."
The sale is being conducted online only, but preview appointments are available on-site in Bethlehem.
View the listing here.
For more information:
A.J. Willner Auctions 
Harry Byrnes
+1 (908) 789 9999
[email protected]
www.ajwauctions.com