Bowery Farming, the largest U.S. vertical farming company, announces further expansion of its leadership team on the heels of a new $300M Series C fundraise with new Senior Vice President (SVP) of sales, CPG and food industry vet, Shannon Corbett. Reporting to Katie Seawell, Bowery’s Chief Commercial Officer, Corbett will be integral to Bowery’s national expansion goals, scaling its commercial footprint across the US, unlocking new business development opportunities and building out a world-class sales organization.
In this new role, Corbett will harness the full potential of Bowery’s growing network of farms to deliver against record demand, align revenue goals consistent with financial targets and continue to accelerate the company’s mission to expand access to flavorful Protected Produce that is local, safer, and more sustainable.
Corbett brings 30 years of experience to her new role. Prior to joining Bowery, Corbett served as Vice President, U.S. Sales at Nature’s Path Foods, where she focused on the development of compelling consumer-led sales strategies as well as key sales initiatives. At Nature’s Path, she also served on the Advisory Board and Executive Leadership Team. Corbett’s extensive experience also includes managing a team at the Kellogg Company and leading partnerships at Mars Chocolate North America. She has worked in analytics, category management, shopper marketing, and sales, including the opportunity to lead National Account Teams with WalMart, Target, Costco, Sam’s, and Kroger. She holds a Certificate of Special Studies in Business Management from Harvard University, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Corbett is the most recent among a series of strategic hires for Bowery, which also includes Injong Rhee, Chief Technology Officer (former Samsung Mobile and Google executive), Colin Nelson, Chief Supply Chain Officer (former supply chain executive at Walgreens Boots Alliance, Unilever, and GlaxoSmithKline), and Katie Seawell, Chief Marketing Officer (formerly SVP of Product and Marketing for Starbucks).
This appointment comes at a pivotal time in the company’s growth. Bowery, now the largest U.S. vertical farming company, had 750% sales growth since January 2020 with brick and mortar grocery retailers and it has more than quadrupled sales with e-commerce platforms, including Amazon. Bowery continues to be an industry leader with the release of an innovative, rotating line of next generation greens under its new Farmer’s Selection category, offering the thrill of the Farmers Market experience at the retail aisle via limited-edition, wildly flavorful greens like Mustard Frills and Green Sorrel.
Bowery’s third commercial farm currently under construction in Bethlehem, PA, will help to meet unprecedented consumer demand for its produce. This achievement will further automate the growing process from seed to store as Bowery leads the way through its growing network of farms to reimagine the fresh produce supply chain and expands its reach through future farms.
About Bowery
Founded in 2015, Bowery Farming is on a mission to democratize access to high-quality, local, safe and sustainable produce. Bowery builds smart indoor farms near cities, growing fresher, pesticide-free Protected Produce with bold flavor in precisely controlled environments, 365 days a year. At the heart of each farm is the proprietary BoweryOS, which integrates software, hardware, sensors, AI, computer vision systems, machine learning models and robotics to orchestrate and automate the entirety of its operations. As a result, each farm creates far less waste and uses a fraction of the water and land compared to traditional agriculture.
Based in New York City, Bowery is the largest vertical farming company in the United States, serving major e-commerce platforms and more than 850 grocery stores in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, including Albertsons Companies (Safeway and Acme), Amazon Fresh, Giant Food, Walmart, Weis, Whole Foods Market, and specialty grocers, with produce that’s harvested year-round at peak freshness, delivered within days of harvest.
Bowery has raised $472 million from leading investors, including Fidelity Management & Research Company LLC, Temasek, GV (formerly Google Ventures), General Catalyst, GGV Capital, First Round Capital, and individuals including Henry Kravis, Jeff Wilke, as well as some of the foremost thought leaders in food, including Tom Colicchio, José Andrés and David Barber of Blue Hill.
