Indoor farming giants 80 Acres Farms and Soli Organic set to combine forces: 'I hope this marks the beginning of a fresh period'
In a significant move for the indoor farming industry, vertical farming company 80 Acres Farms and indoor grower Soli Organic have announced their intention to merge, creating one of the world's largest and most advanced indoor farming networks. The combined company, operating under the 80 Acres Farms name, will be headquartered in Hamilton.
Mike Zelkind, cofounder and CEO of 80 Acres Farms, expressed his optimism about the future of vertical farming, stating that the industry is necessary. He believes the merger will offer superior product at scale, as the combined company aims to deliver fresher, better-tasting, pesticide- and heavy metal-free produce that is locally grown, climate-resilient, and shelf-life optimized.
The merger will have a significant impact on the indoor farming industry. The combined company will serve over 17,000 retail locations across the U.S., supported by a farm and logistics network designed for regional redundancy and just-in-time delivery. This national scale and reach will be enhanced by the integration of 80 Acres Farms' GroLoop platform—an integrated hardware, software, and environmental control system enabling precise automation and scalability—with Soli Organic’s decades of agronomic expertise and proprietary organic growing systems.
The merged company will also offer a wide range of fresh, clean, ready-to-eat products for retail, convenience, and foodservice channels, including both vertical farmed and field-grown organic produce. This expanded product portfolio, coupled with vertically integrated operations with real-time visibility, will reduce food waste, increase freshness, and provide reliable service nationwide, particularly valuable amid recent trade volatility and supply uncertainties.
The merger will also strengthen teams in engineering, plant science, operations, food safety, branding, and marketing to drive ongoing growth, customer engagement, and retail expansion. This operational and innovation depth will position the merged company to accelerate the maturity of indoor farming, deliver consistent high-quality products to retailers, and enhance choice and reliability for consumers, ultimately transforming the role of indoor agriculture in the produce supply chain.
The combined company projects first-year revenues of nearly $200 million, signaling significant commercial scale. 80 Acres Farms has also acquired Israeli biotechnology company Plantae Biosciences to increase focus on plant genomics.
Zelkind, who has expressed concern about the focus on pricing in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), emphasizes the need for superior product at scale. He sees the current market correction for indoor agriculture as a healthy sign, and hopes the merger is the start of a new era in indoor agriculture.
Soli Organic, previously known as Shenandoah Growers, has operated since 1989 and holds a significant portion of the US market for organic culinary herbs. Ulf Jonsson, a founder of Soli Organic, has experience in building advanced greenhouse systems. 80 Acres Farms currently operates five fully automated indoor vertical farms in the eastern half of the US, powered with renewable energy.
The merger comes after Soli Organic has transitioned parts of its outdoor growing footprint to indoor vertical farms in recent years. 80 Acres Farms has bought the IP and assets of onetime vertical farming star Kalera. The combined company has an expected grow capacity of 15-30 million pounds of produce annually.
Zelkind rejects the idea that indoor agriculture, particularly vertical farming, is finished as an industry. He believes the industry correction for indoor agriculture is a sign of the industry maturing. In 2021, 80 Acres Farms raised $115 million, bringing its total funding to over $350 million.
With this merger, the indoor farming industry is poised to take a significant step forward, offering consumers fresher, better-tasting, and more sustainable produce options.
This merger of 80 Acres Farms and Soli Organic, a significant event in the indoor farming industry, will leverage their shared expertise in technology to optimize production and create one of the world's most advanced indoor farming networks. The combined company, with its focus on finance and business, aims to deliver high-quality, locally grown produce at scale while reducing food waste and enhancing consumer choice.
