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Hammock Greens has been recognized by Agri Business Review Magazine as the exclusive recipient of “Top 10 Indoor Farming Companies – 2022,” based on our proprietary methodology, reflecting its position in the industry, and is also named among “,” reflecting its broader leadership. This profile has been developed by the Agri Business Review research and editorial team based on insights from an interview with Thomas Smitherman, Chief Greens Officer.
Hammock Greens
Sustainable Year-Round Availability of Leafy Greens and Herbs without Climate Dependency
A 40-foot-long container farm can yield the same number of harvestable greens as a traditional 30-acre outdoor farm—this is what Hammock Greens offers in Southern, Florida. A leading provider of superior, hyper-local produce, the company operates eleven container farms, each with a state-of-the-art controlled-environment agriculture system. This gives them complete control of the plant's ecosystem and enables the growth of nutritious products, without depending on toxic pesticides and harmful chemical fertilizers.
“Our mission is to produce the best live organic greens possible with the innovation of technology. Eliminating the unpredictability of traditional farming and reducing the dependence on weather conditions,” states Thomas Smitherman, COO of Hammock Greens.
Every container farm has 256 vertical grow columns lined with plants, thousands of digitally controlled LED light strips, and a proprietary growing system that controls water flow and administers compliant nutrients. Integrating its vertical farming system with sensor technology enables Hammock Greens to automatically adjust components, including humidity, CO2, and nutrient levels, to maintain the ideal growing environment. These container farm systems are then controlled through a smartphone program that displays all necessary farm data, enabling quick access to all critical insights and enhancing decision-making.
“Our disruptive approach towards agriculture enables us to operate and grow year-round. Avoiding a variable of factors such as extreme weather and climate conditions, supply side and channel issues, theft and pests and animals,” says Ron McKay, CEO at Hammock Greens.
They view their approach as an upgrade over conventional building-based farms, which have become an integral part of the agricultural landscape after COVID-19. Despite the benefits of indoor farming, these large farms cannot be scaled up or down as easily. They cannot be moved from one place to another, necessitating additional transport capability. In contrast, container farm parks can be easily scaled anywhere, offering an exceptionally high yield on minimal acreage with a sustainable number of resources. Scaling Agri-tech parks to customize production to meet the demand.
This flexibility enables Hammock Greens to facilitate a more personalized product list. Hammock Green’s clients can easily place orders, having their preferred produce grown and delivered straight to their doorstep. This hyper local innovation allows companies to form a specific product line versus them only buying what's available from conventional farms.
A hyper-localized producer like Hammock Greens is especially ideal for addressing problems associated with ‘food-desert’ areas that have limited access to affordable and nutritious produce. Even in places with extreme heat and cold, where cultivating seasonal vegetables is challenging, Hammock Greens Agri-tech parks are solutions to producing leafy vegetables and providing a consistent nutritional supply of food.
Hammock Greens has become a trusted partner to hospitality groups such as hotel resorts, high-end restaurants, cruise ships and even hospitals. They are also working with a big global food distributor such as Sysco and Freshpoint; to streamline their farm-to-market workflow, for national expansion including into the Caribbean and in order to achieve an uninterrupted supply of leafy greens, herbs and micro and petities.
The company is currently in a capital raise. From having just one container in 2017, Hammock Greens has expanded significantly to meet the needs of the Agri-tech market. Once the Miami park is at full production, the plan is to replicate the same business model in other cities such as Orlando, Atlanta and Philadelphia. Eventually opening in areas that have extreme weather conditions such as Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and Utah. Focusing on the hospitality industry around the ski resorts and in Las Vegas and Phoenix in order to provide to hotels operating in the middle of the desert climate.
Hammock Greens believes that it is not just about profit but customer satisfaction, ensuring clients can trust the company with their choice of food throughout the year. By creating Agri-tech parks in specific places when needed, the company aims to provide clients around the world with fresh, sustainable food while eliminating the challenge of environmental dependency.
“Our mission is to produce the best live organic greens possible with the innovation of technology. Eliminating the unpredictability of traditional farming and reducing the dependence on weather conditions,” states Thomas Smitherman, COO of Hammock Greens.
Every container farm has 256 vertical grow columns lined with plants, thousands of digitally controlled LED light strips, and a proprietary growing system that controls water flow and administers compliant nutrients. Integrating its vertical farming system with sensor technology enables Hammock Greens to automatically adjust components, including humidity, CO2, and nutrient levels, to maintain the ideal growing environment. These container farm systems are then controlled through a smartphone program that displays all necessary farm data, enabling quick access to all critical insights and enhancing decision-making.
“Our disruptive approach towards agriculture enables us to operate and grow year-round. Avoiding a variable of factors such as extreme weather and climate conditions, supply side and channel issues, theft and pests and animals,” says Ron McKay, CEO at Hammock Greens.
They view their approach as an upgrade over conventional building-based farms, which have become an integral part of the agricultural landscape after COVID-19. Despite the benefits of indoor farming, these large farms cannot be scaled up or down as easily. They cannot be moved from one place to another, necessitating additional transport capability. In contrast, container farm parks can be easily scaled anywhere, offering an exceptionally high yield on minimal acreage with a sustainable number of resources. Scaling Agri-tech parks to customize production to meet the demand.
Our mission is to produce the best live organic greens possible with the innovation of technology. Eliminating the unpredictability of traditional farming and reducing the dependence on weather conditions
This flexibility enables Hammock Greens to facilitate a more personalized product list. Hammock Green’s clients can easily place orders, having their preferred produce grown and delivered straight to their doorstep. This hyper local innovation allows companies to form a specific product line versus them only buying what's available from conventional farms.
A hyper-localized producer like Hammock Greens is especially ideal for addressing problems associated with ‘food-desert’ areas that have limited access to affordable and nutritious produce. Even in places with extreme heat and cold, where cultivating seasonal vegetables is challenging, Hammock Greens Agri-tech parks are solutions to producing leafy vegetables and providing a consistent nutritional supply of food.
Hammock Greens has become a trusted partner to hospitality groups such as hotel resorts, high-end restaurants, cruise ships and even hospitals. They are also working with a big global food distributor such as Sysco and Freshpoint; to streamline their farm-to-market workflow, for national expansion including into the Caribbean and in order to achieve an uninterrupted supply of leafy greens, herbs and micro and petities.
The company is currently in a capital raise. From having just one container in 2017, Hammock Greens has expanded significantly to meet the needs of the Agri-tech market. Once the Miami park is at full production, the plan is to replicate the same business model in other cities such as Orlando, Atlanta and Philadelphia. Eventually opening in areas that have extreme weather conditions such as Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and Utah. Focusing on the hospitality industry around the ski resorts and in Las Vegas and Phoenix in order to provide to hotels operating in the middle of the desert climate.
Hammock Greens believes that it is not just about profit but customer satisfaction, ensuring clients can trust the company with their choice of food throughout the year. By creating Agri-tech parks in specific places when needed, the company aims to provide clients around the world with fresh, sustainable food while eliminating the challenge of environmental dependency.
Company
Hammock Greens
Management
Thomas Smitherman, Chief Greens Officer and Ron McKay, Co-Founder & Strategic Leadership
Description
Hammock Greens operates container farms, each featuring a state-of-the-art controlled-environment agriculture system that gives them complete control of the elements and enables them to growdelicious and nutritious food anywhere they want without depending on toxic pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
