Upward Farms
Brooklyn, United States · Operator: Upward Enterprises Inc. (dba Upward Farms)
Overview
A Brooklyn aquaponics indoor-farming firm; was building a $160M Pennsylvania farm but wound down its 10-year-old business in March 2023.
Citizen participation
Company-run aquaponics production; no public participation.
Operating model
Commercial model combining aquaponics and microbiome science to supply organic microgreens and fish to Whole Foods and others.
Impact
Ceased all operations, saying 'vertical farming is almost infinitely complex — as we tackled challenges, new ones emerged.' It laid off ~80 staff and abandoned its unfinished new plant. Lesson: the technical complexity of aquaponics + CEA can overwhelm a business before it scales.
Crops
- microgreens
- fish
Scale
Ceased all vertical-farming operations in March 2023; ~80 staff laid off and a planned $160M Pennsylvania farm abandoned
Sources（2）
This entry is compiled from the public sources, official sites and research below.
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