Square Roots, Brooklyn, N.Y., partnered with Gordon Food Service to create a new farm campus at Gordon Food Service’s Grand Rapids, Mich., headquarters.

This co-located modular, scalable farm-tech platform consists of 10 cloud-connected Square Roots Climate Containers, employing sophisticated, digitally-controlled hydroponics and full-spectrum LED lighting systems from Signify, The Netherlands. The indoor farm will produce more than 50,000 pounds of premium herbs and greens annually. Initial crops will include basil, chives and mint — harvested year-round— and will be grown without the use of GMOs or pesticides. After being hand-harvested by the Square Roots farm team, herbs will be distributed by Gordon Food Service to customers in Grand Rapids, as well as throughout Michigan, northern Indiana, and Ohio.

In addition, Eli Zimmer joined as assistant farm manager.

“This partnership with Gordon Food Service reflects our shared commitment to local, real food, and at a scale that will serve people and communities across North America. And, with each new Square Roots farm, the Next-Gen Farmer Training Program opens doors for more young people to start exciting careers in the agriculture industry,” says Tobias Peggs, co-founder and CEO of Square Roots.