Brick Avenue Farms has revealed a rendering of what its green-energy city farming hubs will seem like. They may present an all-inclusive onsite farming and retail location in city cores.
Headquartered in St. Petersburg’s Warehouse Arts District, Brick Avenue Farms operates a hydroponic farm that makes use of 16 climate-controlled delivery containers to develop its produce.
The corporate plans to carry its self-contained, environmentally sustainable containers and know-how to St. Pete and Tampa with Thrive-branded containers.
Brad Doyle (left) and Shannon O’Malley, the homeowners of Brick Avenue Farms. Photograph supplied.
“We began in 2016 with the objective to carry city farming to densely-populated areas and remove the availability chain. By constructing ‘Thrive’ containers, our objective is to meet that mission,” mentioned co-owner Shannon O’Malley.
The Thrive title is made to distinguish the containers, as they’ll have superior high-tech options.
In the present day, Brick Avenue Farms grows greater than 44 kinds of vegetation, together with romaine, spinach, kale and oregano.
Brick Avenue Farms additionally works with hospitality companions such because the Don CeSar and the Vinoy, and with many eating places resembling Pacific Counter and The Bare Farmer. Brick Avenue Farms handles all the transaction and packaging course of, from seed to sale, and not using a third social gathering so the corporate can management the standard.
O’Malley mentioned they have been in a position to not too long ago safe enterprise with Lakeland-based grocer Publix Supermarkets Inc. for supplying its GreenWise shops.
“In early 2020 when the pandemic hit and induced eating places to close down, we have been left with extra product. Publix reached out to us to incorporate us within the GreenWise shops,” O’Malley mentioned. One of many delivery containers is located on the GreenWise market in Lakeland, the place produce is actually moved from the container by way of the backdoor.
To develop its attain, the brand new Thrive-branded containers will be capable to produce the identical quantity of merchandise grown between 16 to twenty acres of farmland on simply one-third acre parking tons.
The duo expects to open the primary impartial prototype, at 2001 2nd Avenue S. in St. Pete, in February. They bought the property years in the past and operated there till they wanted further house and relocated a number of blocks away. They continue to be the property homeowners.
The second Thrive unit could be in Tampa. O’Malley mentioned she has not nailed down a website but, however has her eyes on potential properties in Water Avenue, Ybor Metropolis, and West and East Tampa.
“Our hubs are supposed to be in city cores the place folks can stroll and commute simply,” she mentioned.
The general sq. footage of the containers and related know-how might be roughly 3,500 sq. ft. All the website would embody 5,000 sq. ft, together with inexperienced house and parking.
The workforce can also be engaged on a home-delivery produce mannequin.
The funding for the Thrive containers has been propelled by Lykes Bros., one of many oldest and largest agribusinesses in Florida. The corporate made a multi-million investment in Brick Street Farms earlier this yr.
The corporate has initiated a number of methods to avoid wasting water and electrical energy.
The corporate makes use of three main water sources: A HVAC condensate, a re-filtered rainwater catchment system, and metropolis water, which is just used after the primary two assets have been utilized.
Brick Avenue Farms additionally has quite a few applied sciences to assist offset electrical energy wants. The models have photo voltaic panels and the corporate makes use of a time-of-use meter by way of Duke Power that makes use of energy solely through the off-peak time to scale back pressure to the electrical grid.
Moreover, O’Malley mentioned, they plan to have a pure fuel backup era.
When the brand new Thrive containers come on-line, Brick Avenue Farms may have over 24 delivery container farms in operation.
