Growing fresh vegetables in the Midwest is about to take a major turn in a new direction as Nature Fresh Farms has announced a large-scale investment in northwest Ohio. The company plans to begin construction on a 175-acre greenhouse facility in Delta, OH in the spring of 2015.
“This is an exciting time for Nature Fresh Farms as we expand our operations to include a U.S. growing facility. This development will allow us to better serve our Ohio customers with locally grown produce, year-round and continue to grow our U.S. operations.” stated Peter Quiring, president of Nature Fresh Farms.
Contingent upon acceptable levels of incentives from the State of Ohio and other government authorities as well as utility rates agreeable to Nature Fresh, the company would be poised to ship its first case of vegetables in December 2015. The greenhouse project will be completed in several phases over the next seven years with a total investment approaching $200 million by the year 2022.
Nature Fresh Farms has partnered with Jobs-Ohio, the Regional Growth Partnership, the Fulton County Economic Development Corporation, York Township, and the Village of Delta after an extensive search for the optimal site for this expansion project.
“Nature Fresh Farms’ intention to open its first U.S. production facility in Delta is great news for northwest Ohio,” commented Aaron Pitts, Managing Director of Jobs-Ohio. “We look forward to working closely with the Nature Fresh Farms team and our local partners as the company establishes operations in the United States,” said Pitts.
The Delta, Ohio site was selected due to its easy access to current and future customers as well as proximity to the company’s headquarters. Nature Fresh Farms is also exploring a partnership with Northstar/Bluescope Steel to utilize carbon dioxide and waste heat from their operations. This innovative and environmentally beneficial partnership will be one of the first of its kind anywhere in the U.S.
“The proposed investment by Nature Fresh Farms is an exciting project for the York Township, the Village of Delta, and surrounding communities”, stated Matt Gilroy, executive director of the Fulton County Economic Development Corporation. “The company plans to employ more than 300 people by the last phase of the project and its payroll at the Fulton County location will be nearly $12 million annually. We welcome Nature Fresh Farms to Fulton County and will work diligently to meet the company’s needs and complete the project successfully,” said Gilroy.
Source: Nature Fresh Farms press release