California-based Unfold, a seed and digital solutions company, and GoodLeaf Farms, a Canada-based commercial vertical farm, has announced their partnership to commercialize premium lines of vertically-farmed spinach and other leafy greens through Unfold’s Innovation Partner Program.
“We’re very excited to collaborate with GoodLeaf to unlock the potential for improved quality and yield for their indoor growing operations,” said Sonia Lo, Unfold CEO.
“As a former vertical farm operator, I understand first-hand the importance of seeds that are specifically developed for indoor growing. GoodLeaf is the largest vertical grower in Canada and has already demonstrated its ability to successfully grow leafy greens in large-scale, fully commercialized vertical farms. Now, through our partnership, we will accelerate their product evolution with seed developed and optimized for their specific environment.”
GoodLeaf is expanding across Canada, building new facilities in Montreal and Calgary to increase its current production out of Guelph, Ontario. With the completion of these two farms, GoodLeaf will produce over four million pounds of leafy greens annually, which is especially important for Canada where spinach, lettuce and other leafy greens remain amongst the country’s top imports. The farms will be fully operational in late second quarter/early third quarter of 2023.
“Now that we have a solid foundation in place for our operations, it’s the perfect time to partner with Unfold,” said Barry Murchie, GoodLeaf president and CEO. “Having the right seeds to ensure our success is crucial as we grow our operations throughout Canada and help the country lessen its dependence on imported produce. Unfold will help us make that goal possible.”
GoodLeaf and Unfold’s collaboration is part of Unfold’s Innovation Partner Program, which provides vertical farm leaders access to Unfold’s plant biology expertise, digital tools and germplasm. This access is a competitive advantage to vertical farmers who often lack proficiency in seed genetics and agronomics for indoor farming, and, as a result, are left to rely on suboptimal seeds that generate reduced quality and yields.
“All of our leafy greens are grown with passion, care and precision,” Murchie continued.
“Our partnership with Unfold will help us accelerate the development of even more productive, premium-quality leafy greens. Our R&D team is excited to collaborate with their counterparts at Unfold to take our efforts a leap forward and develop new varieties with enhanced yield, taste, nutritional value and sustainability.”
These new varieties will boost GoodLeaf’s produce output while lowering its production costs, allowing the company to increase the accessibility of fresh vegetables closer to consumers’ homes as they continue to expand across Canada.
For additional information about the companies, visit unfold.ag or goodleaffarms.com.
