One of the curses of living in northern latitudes afflicts Chicagoans every fall: How can you buy fresh produce when the fields are frozen? The answer, for a growing number of farmers, is to bring the plants inside. Now comes an industrial-scale venture that aims to provide an alternative to one of winter's most cruel impositions: the tasteless tomato.
Backed by $11 million from more than a dozen individual investors, hydroponic farm MightyVine has built a sparkling 7.5-acre greenhouse amid farmland and big-box warehouses 80 miles west of Chicago's Loop, in Rochelle. The startup plans to plant its first crop of two varietals on Aug. 1, begin harvesting in October and supplying Chicago restaurants and retailers the same day each batch of ripened tomatoes is picked.
The idea is to continue harvesting almost daily year-round, producing up to 4.5 million pounds annually, or enough to supply one of every 50 fresh tomatoes consumed annually in greater Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison, Wis., the company estimates.
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