Green PolkaDot Box Incorporated, America's premier online membership club for organic and non-GMO natural foods at wholesale pricing, announced that it has broken ground on the 40 acres of land for the installation of vertical growing towers in green houses that will produce the organic produce sold as Living Produce.
As announced in August, the company has signed a 10-year contract, valued at over $616,000,000 with Fresh Organics, an international organic produce distributor headquartered in Miami, Florida. Beginning in November 2013, the first phase includes mandates for the development of organically grown bell peppers in all color varieties, red and green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, and assorted tomato varieties, including organic heirlooms. While the initial contract phase is limited to the mentioned varieties, future phases will include a larger selection of Living Produce as growing and processing capacities increase.
CEO Rod Smith says: "Our 40 acres land acquisition is just another milestone that our team has worked very hard to achieve during the past 12 months toward the launch of Living Produce. Green PolkaDot Box is extremely proud of its partnership with Fresh Organics, referring to the landmark agreement to sell high quality organic produce which ensures the growth of our Living Produce program, leading to benefits for all health-minded consumers." Smith explains, "In many cases, the varieties we offer are alive when harvested locally and delivered, same or next day, to commercial customers. These plants we sell can remain alive for 7-10 days before they begin to deteriorate." This will be the first commercial large scale Organic Vertical Farm in America. For the following reasons, management of Green PolkaDot Box believes the benefits of Living Produce will bring superior food products to GreenPolkaDotBox.com members nationally:
Benefits of Living Produce
- Superior Plant Nutrients: Living Produce, based on proprietary growing technology, delivers the full spectrum of nutrients required for healthy, sustainable plant growth. "Customers will be able to see and taste the difference," says Smith. Consumers will also know the vitamin/mineral content of each plant and their respective benefits in promoting a strong, healthy immune system.
- Year-Round Availability: Living Produce will be grown in "closed" indoor, climate-controlled growing centers, enabling year-round production of popular favorite varieties and other rare species that are sometimes very hard to get.
- Less Environmental Impact: Living Produce grown with vertical technology requires about 88 percent less land mass for production and up to 95 percent less water normally required. But that's not all. With some varieties the growing cycle is only 30-90 days; meaning that harvest yields can be up to 12 times the normal yield of traditionally grown plants.
- Enhanced Food Safety: Vertical growing of Living Produce can take place in a closed system of green house facilities, maintaining a clean growing and handling environment, eliminating overspray from pesticides, herbicides, cross-pollination of GMO's, and harmful pathogens, enhancing food safety.
