Whole Foods Market Launches Mini Mushroom Farm at Chimney Rock in Bridgewater, NJ

At the forefront of sustainable commercial food supply, Whole Foods Market is constantly rolling out fresh, new ways to change the game. Enter Whole Foods' newest addition to their 50,000 SF Bridgewater, NJ store at Regency's Chimney Rock: a mini mushroom farm. Spearheaded by Smallhold, an emerging Brooklyn-based company that implements mini farms across a variety of restaurants, the farm will produce upwards of 120 pounds of mushrooms each week for Whole Foods — its first official retail partner.

Initially grown in nearby farms, the mushrooms are delivered to the market at their final growth stage, enclosed in a glass case and displayed along a produce wall. With a glowing light that is sure to captivate the eyes of passersby, Smallhold’s vertical farm unit resembles that of a fish tank.

As stated in Supermarket News, “This is a direction that not just produce, but food in general is moving,” said Adam DeMartino, co-founder and COO of Smallhold. “There's definitely a renewed focus on healthy produce, there's definitely a desire for local, but we need to make that affordable. And basically, that's what we offer. In addition, [you get] the marketing value of having produce grown on-site.”

Learn more here.

Photo Credit: Supermarket News