Bowery Farming
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Agriculture, Vertical farming |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Founder | Irving Fain, David Golden, Brian Falther |
| Defunct | November 2024 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States |
| Products | Pesticide-free leafy greens, lettuce, herbs |
Bowery Farming was a digital agriculture and vertical farming enterprise headquartered in New York, operating farms located in New Jersey, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. It specialized in cultivating pesticide-free leafy greens, lettuce, and herbs. Recognized as the largest vertical farming entity within the United States, Bowery supplied fresh produce to over 850 retail outlets throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, including prominent chains such as Whole Foods and Walmart, as well as delivering locally sourced products to multiple food delivery services.
History
Established in 2015 by entrepreneur Irving Fain—who had previously co-founded CrowdTwist, later acquired by Oracle Corporation for $100 million—Bowery Farming was co-founded alongside David Golden and Brian Falther. Early in the company’s development, Henry Sztul joined to spearhead the creation of BoweryOS and took on the role of Chief Science Officer. In 2021, Bowery secured $472 million in funding from investors such as Google Ventures, General Catalyst, GGV Capital, Temasek, and Fidelity Investments. Notable backers also included Lewis Hamilton, Tom Colicchio, Chris Paul, José Andrés, Justin Timberlake, and Natalie Portman.
That same year, Bowery launched Farm X in Kearny, N.J., an innovation center dedicated to advancing seed breeding for indoor agriculture beyond leafy greens. Additionally, a third commercial smart farm began operations in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The company managed three commercial farms alongside two research and development sites in Kearny, cultivating crops inside industrial warehouse settings across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. Utilizing proprietary vertical farming technologies that eliminated pesticide use and minimized water consumption, Bowery distributed its harvest through retailers including Whole Foods Market, Giant Food, Walmart, Albertson's Companies (operating ACME and Safeway), and Weis Markets. It also partnered with delivery services such as Hungryroot and Amazon.
Bowery’s operations were driven by advanced automation, robotics, sensors, artificial intelligence, and its unique operating platform BoweryOS that processes crop data in real time. To accelerate technological integration across its farming locations, the company enlisted former Samsung Chief Technologist Injong Rhee. In 2022, Bowery expanded its capabilities by acquiring Traptic, a robotics company specializing in vine crop cultivation.
In November 2024, Bowery Farming discontinued its activities and laid off employees at facilities in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The closure was attributed to financial challenges stemming from insufficient demand for its higher-priced produce and crop yield declines caused by a pervasive plant disease impacting several farms.
External links
- American companies established in 2015
- Online food retailers of the United States
- Experimental farms in the United States
- Farms in New Jersey
- Farms in Pennsylvania
- Farms in New York City
- 2015 establishments in New York City
- Agriculture companies established in the 2010s
- Companies based in New York City
- Research institutes in New York (state)