Bowery Farming Opens New Smart Farm in Bethlehem, Pa.

Bowery Farming has opened a new smart farm on a previous industrial site in Bethlehem, Pa. The farm will bring fresh produce to about 50 million people within 200 miles of the facility, and will provide more than 70 full-time, year-round jobs, the New York-based vertical farming company said. 

The company is also partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank of Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania to donate produce and make food more available within the community. “In addition to bringing at least 70 jobs to Bethlehem, Bowery Farming is innovating to feed the future and fight food insecurity. This project is a win for agriculture and a win for Pennsylvanians,” said Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf in a release.

The smart farm features 15% more efficient LED lighting, 100% renewable energy and a water recapture and filtration system, said Bowery, which was founded in 2015 and serves e-commerce platforms and more than 1,000 grocery stores in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, including Albertsons Cos. (Safeway and Acme), Amazon Fresh, Giant Food, Walmart, Wakefern, Weis, Whole Food Markets and specialty grocers.

Bowery's product line includes Farmer's Selection (a line of greens); Crispy Leaf (iceberg lettuce); Arugula; Baby Butter Lettuce; a selection of herbs; and strawberries (which launched in March 2022).

By 2023, Bowery plans to add two more farms in the Atlanta and Dallas metropolitan regions. The farms are currently under construction. 

“At Bowery, wherever food is needed, we can grow it,” said Irving Fain, founder and CEO of Bowery Farming. “We are addressing the challenges in our system by growing food smarter for more people in more places—and that work, securing food for our future, continues today with the opening of our Bethlehem Farm.”

“If we've learned anything from the past two years it is that we are in a period of unprecedented disruption and uncertainty across our climate and geopolitical circumstances, which unfortunately is going to persist. We are also seeing firsthand that our global food system is inextricably tied to these dynamics," Fain added.