Soli Organic building 130,000-square foot farm in Washington

Soli Organic Inc., a large-scale, soil-based, certified-organic produce grower, recently announced it will build a new farm in Marysville, Washington.

The 130,000 square-foot farm will supply 5 million pounds of affordable USDA-certified organic herbs and leafy greens each year and support 150 “well-paying” jobs in the Seattle area, according to a news release from the company.

Soli Organic, which provides organic produce to more than 20,000 retail stores nationwide, markets itself as offering organic herbs and leafy greens with all of the sustainability benefits of indoor-grown produce, at a much lower price point. Soli Organic was founded in 1989 as Shenandoah Growers Inc. The growing company is based in Rockingham, Virginia.

Soli Organic CEO Matt Ryan said in the release the company was “thrilled” to be expanding to reach consumers in the Seattle area and broader Pacific Northwest region.

“This next phase of expansion for Soli Organic will advance our efforts to scale and grow the company while maintaining our strong track record of financial performance,” he said in the news release.

Local leaders were supportive of the move. Snohomish County Economic Alliance President and CEO Garry Clark was quoted in the news release. 

“Economic Alliance works with our local communities to attract innovative companies, like Soli Organic. They will be bringing environmentally sustainable indoor farming technologies to Marysville and the Puget Sound Region,” Clark said. “Washington’s strong agricultural tradition makes Soli Organic a perfect fit for our community.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Soli Organic to Marysville and the Cascade Industrial Center,” Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring said. “It’s a forward-thinking company and an excellent addition to our growing business corridor.”

The Marysville facility is expected to be operational by Q1 2023, according to the news release. The facility is the second of eight new farms the Soli plans to build in the near term, in addition to seven facilities already in operation. The company intends to have a total of 15 soil-based indoor farms in strategic locations across the U.S., which will support its plans to shift 90% of its production indoors.

Soli also recently announced a $120 million agreement with leading real estate development firm Decennial Group, one of the largest of its kind for a controlled environment agriculture company to date, according to the news release. The agreement will finance the construction of three of the Company’s planned eight new facilities. In August 2021, Soli Organic broke ground on the first of the three facilities to be financed through this announcement, located in Anderson County, South Carolina. The 100,000 square-foot facility is anticipated to be operational by Q2 2022. The Company intends to announce the locations of the two additional farms financed through this agreement in the near future.

Soli Organic marketers itself as the first company to unlock the full value of controlled environment agriculture by growing plants in living soil, rather than using hydroponics or aeroponics.

Using a soil-based substrate enables the Company’s closed-loop nutrient regeneration technology, which produces nitrogen naturally, according to the news release.  The system eliminates the need for synthetic fertilizers, which supports the Company’s USDA-certified organic status and shields it from recent ongoing spikes in input costs.

For more information, visit www.soliorganic.com.