Ribbon-cutting slated for first commercial hydroponic greenhouse in R.I.

WORKERS ARE SEEN inside Atlantic Produce Inc.'s greenhouse in South Kingstown. The facility is billed as Rhode Island's first commercial hydroponic greenhouse. / COURTESY ATLANTIC PRODUCE INC.
WORKERS ARE SEEN inside Atlantic Produce Inc.'s greenhouse in South Kingstown. The facility is billed as Rhode Island's first commercial hydroponic greenhouse. / COURTESY ATLANTIC PRODUCE INC.

(Updated 11:22 a.m.)
SOUTH KINGSTOWN – A ribbon-cutting event will be held Thursday for the first commercial hydroponic greenhouse to operate in Rhode Island, according to the state Department of Environmental Management.

Atlantic Produce Inc. will grow and distribute leafy green vegetables and herbs to local restaurants and grocery stores under the brand “Boston Greens.” It will operate out of an 8,435-square-foot facility at 445 Liberty Lane in the West Kingston section of South Kingstown.

R.I. Department of Environmental Management Director Janet L. Coit will participate in the event.

“Thumbs up to Atlantic Produce for finding an innovative way to produce high-quality, delicious produce year-round,” DEM Director Janet Coit said in a statement. “By making freshly-grown, chemical-free lettuce, greens and herbs available to consumers no matter what the season, you have an opportunity to make a real impact on the diets and health of our state’s residents. Rhode Islanders crave local food, and Boston Greens will be a fabulous addition to restaurant menus and local grocery shelves.”

- Advertisement -

The plants grow in a mineral-nutrient water solution, with no soil, according to the company. Potable water is pumped in and purified further before being fed to the plants.
The company said Boston Greens contains no herbicides, non-organic pesticides or GMOs.

Boston Greens will be sold within a 100-mile radius, to be consumed within days of picking. Lettuce varieties it will sell include bibb lettuce, baby romaine, red oak leaf, red leaf and green leaf. It also will sell rainbow chard, kale and herbs, including Italian flat leaf parsley, green and purple basil, cilantro and mint.

The company’s greenhouse will provide a 12-month growing season, enabling Boston Greens to grow 250,000 heads of lettuce (120,000 pounds). This quantity is as much as a traditional farm would grow seasonally on two to three acres of farmland, the company said.

In addition to Coit, participants in the 10 a.m. program will include Atlantic Produce Founder, President and CEO Lewis Valenti; South Kingstown Town Manager Stephen A. Alfred; South County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Elizabeth Berman; R.I. Commerce Corp. Chief Operating Officer Darin Early and DEM Agriculture Chief Kenneth Ayars.
Tours of the facility will be provided after the speaking program.

Atlantic Produce has been funded with $1.3 million from private investors and employs eight people. Projected employment when all 16 acres are at 100 percent capacity is more than 120 people.

No posts to display