By early 2010, Queen residents will be able to purchase locally grown fresh and organic vegetables and herbs. More impressive is the fact that all of the vegetation will be grown completely without the use of soil, and on a rooftop farm.
Gotham Greens, a startup company headed by young entrepreneurs Viraj Puri, Eric Haley, and Jennifer Nelkin, is converting an unused Jamaica rooftop into the city’s first commercial hydroponic farm. Their goal is to provide pesticide free organic food while making a major effort to reduce and eliminate carbon emission as well as other environmental issues associated with food production.
For their first project, they have teamed up with the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation. The one-story building at 148-02 Archer Avenue, currently a church, will be the future home of the estimated 10,000-square-foot rooftop green house.
“The project will cost an estimated $1.4 million,” said Viraj Puri. “As of now we have raised over $1 million with the help from the New York Business Development Corporation, the New York State Energy Research Development Authority and other investors.”
The hydroponic farm will produce roughly 30 tons of fruits, vegetables and herbs a year to be purchased locally by restaurants, markets and the every day consumer. Gotham Greens has already spoken to the Jamaica Farmers Market, Whole Foods, and the healthy fast food chain Just Salads, which has multiple locations in the city.
Hydroponic farming uses recirculated water with dissolved nutrients to grow plants efficiently and requires less water that traditional agriculture. Gotham Greens plans on using rainwater run offs to supply almost all of the water needed for irrigation. In order to power the facility Gotham Greens plans on installing multiple solar panels on an adjacent rooftop, which is also owned by the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation. The addition of highly efficient water pumps and cooling fans will help decrease energy consumption. These green business techniques keep production costs low, allowing Gotham Greens to offer competitive pricing.
Gotham Greens will not only offer jobs opportunities but will also deliver cheap organic foods in neighborhoods that previously did not have access to it. “We are going to create green collar jobs,” said Puri.
Although their first project is ambitious, the company plans to expand throughout the city. “This project is going to be about 10,000 square feet. The next green house we plan on building will be four times the size of this one, making it close to 40,000 square feet. This one is going to be the proof of concept.”
