80 Acres Farms

They say everything's bigger in Texas. So why are we introducing ourselves with microgreens? Because these little greens pack Texas-sized flavor. You can now find Amazing Arugula, Micro-topia, Brocc ‘n Roll, and Wasabi Punch in more than 90 H-E-B stores across the Lone Star State.

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to join Canopy Kentucky's Good Business Summit, alongside Bluegrass State friends and collaborators. After a lunch that featured our lettuce in salads and sandwiches, our head of sustainability, Annie Wissemeier, spoke on a panel called "Harvesting the Future," about next-generation farming solutions. "I always recommend using data for decision-making," Annie said. "Most companies have more data than they think they do. That's how you find the business changes that can yield the highest impact."

Today, Goldman Sachs recognized our CEO, Mike Zelkind, as one of the Most Exceptional Entrepreneurs of 2024! We're honored by this recognition of Mike's hard work, vertical farming's potential, and the contributions of each of our team members. The past few years have been tough for many companies, but we've been able to push forward by staying grounded in the basics—operational efficiency and unit economics. We’ve proven that our technology works at scale. Now, we have the opportunity to demonstrate its usefulness across and beyond the produce section. We appreciate the vote of confidence from Goldman! #GSInnovators

The biggest produce expo of the year, the Global Produce and Floral Show, is coming up. As usual, we’re bringing something fresh.   We’ll be sampling our latest salad kits—Hail, Caesar!, Zing n’ Zen, and the brand-new Berry Bliss, with coconut bacon, feta crumbles, freeze-dried fruit, salted pecans, and a zippy balsamic dressing. With clean greens and creative toppings, these kits have been charming shoppers at Kroger and other retailers, and we’re excited for their #GPFS2024 debut.   Stop by booth B1164 to say hi to our team. We’ll hope to see you in Atlanta.

How about starting your day with 80 Acres? Our co-founder Tisha Livingston is joining the Women in CEA series next Tuesday, 10/8, to talk about her experience in the vertical farming industry and where she thinks it's going from here. She'll answer a few questions, too. To join the session, sign up here: https://lu.ma/ahgxsach

Exciting news for American farmers—and all the people we feed: Today, a bipartisan group of lawmakers announced the introduction of H.R. 9263, the Supporting Innovation in Agriculture Act. It may seem like Republicans and Democrats don't agree on much right now, but both parties are invested in keeping American agriculture competitive. This bill would establish a 10-year tax credit for investments in specialty crop production like (but not limited to) vertical farms, incentivizing a massive tech scale-up that can make the U.S. more resilient and bring food prices down. This is a popular idea, endorsed by more than 20 state agriculture secretaries and commissioners and more than 50 agriculture trade organizations at the state and national levels. For more information, click the link below. And please tell your representatives about this bill—a big step forward for the controlled-environment agriculture industry and a win for all specialty crop producers.

Our newest salad kit is in stores now! Imagine crunchy freeze-dried berries making friends with savory plant-based bacon (crafted from coconuts!), tangy crumbled feta, and salted pecans—all hanging out on a bed of our crispy lettuces, drizzled with tangy balsamic dressing. Yep, it's the lunch of your dreams. We call it Berry Bliss, and you can find it on Kroger shelves from Atlanta to Michigan this month. Look for it next to our other five flavors in the ready-to-eat salad section of the produce department.

"We don’t believe there are unsolvable problems. We think there are problems that we haven’t figured out or solved yet. We believe there are teams that give up because there's too much at stake, and they have to go way too far, and at some point, they give up. But those that keep fighting through to the end will either die, or they will create something that is truly legendary." —Mike Zelkind Our founders, Mike and Tisha, opened up about our path to scale and our determination to solve "unsolvable" problems in food and agriculture on the latest episode of Altix Consulting's The Industrialist podcast. Click the link below to hear their thoughts on building a successful business and "changing the way the world farms and the way the world eats." https://lnkd.in/g99yg-Ch

Did you know that the butter cow, now a Midwestern state fair staple, debuted at the Ohio State Fair in 1903? Our home state's big summertime expo has always led the country in celebrating farmers, and this year, the organizers invited us to join the fun. We know what you're thinking: Can lettuce really compete with butter sculptures, carnival rides, and deep-fried food on a stick? When it's this fresh and flavorful, it can! We're staying busy showing off our farm on wheels, the Gromobile, and sharing our fresh produce and our story with fairgoers—including Governor Mike DeWine! #ohio #ohiostatefair

Interns at 80 Acres Farms and Infinite Acres play a big role in supporting our mission. Today, we celebrate #NationalInternDay by highlighting our thirteen outstanding summer interns who have contributed fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to our fast-growing company. Oscar Aguilar, Research & Development Intern University of Arkansas, Poultry Science-Genetics Olivia Cupp, CEA Grower Intern Wilmington College, Agriculture Business Savannah Dickens, Sustainability/Technical Services Intern University of Cincinnati, Environmental Engineering/Sustainability Alexis Felde, Legal Intern University of Dayton, Candidate at the University of Dayton School of Law Joanna Funk, Field Marketing Support Intern University of Cincinnati, Marketing major with a minor in Psychology Maxwell Kittleson, Field Marketing Support Intern Indiana Kelley School of Business, Marketing & Business Analytics Jackson Leaphart, Business Analytics Intern University of Cincinnati, Business Analytics & Information Systems Bella Livingston, Communications & Marketing Intern University of Cincinnati, Journalism major with a minor in Media Production Ava McKenna, Brand Communications Intern Miami University, Strategic Communication & Digital Marketing Matt Rohlfs, Business Intelligence Intern Miami University, Business/Managerial Economics Avalyn Schuehler, Legal/Marketing Intern Northern Kentucky University, Candidate at Salmon P. Chase College of Law Ibrahima Sy, Engineering Intern University of Dayton, Mechanical Engineering Kristen Wallenhorst, Graphic Design Intern Ohio University, Visual Communications: Multimedia