Weis Markets will begin offering products from BrightFarms Inc., a producer of locally grown leafy greens and herbs, in its produce departments.
Weis will offer a variety of BrightFarms lettuce, which is grown sustainably in hydroponic greenhouses to supply customers with year-round local produce. BrightFarms greens are picked at the height of freshness and delivered to Weis within 24 hours.
“Weis is committed to sustainability, and to investing in our local communities—we’ve been buying our produce from local farmers for more than 100 years,” said Bob Gleeson, VP of fresh merchandising for Sunbury, Pennsylvania-based Weis. “Offering BrightFarms products is the best of both worlds, as they’re a local supplier with a commitment to reducing its environmental impact. We’re also proud to work with a company that has invested directly into the communities we serve in Pennsylvania.”
BrightFarms announced in April its plans to build a 250,000-s.f. greenhouse operation in Penn Township, Pennsylvania. The new facility will serve as one of the company’s four primary facilities in the U.S. and will utilize hydroponics to grow its greens and herbs without soil. The company will invest more than $20 million into the project, which will create 54 jobs over the next three years.
BrightFarm said its hydroponic greenhouses use 80 percent less water, 90 percent less land and 90 percent less shipping fuel when compared to long-distance salad growers typically located in California or Arizona.
Founded in 1912, Weis Markets operates 200 stores in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and West Virginia.
