The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
An agricultural technology startup that grew lettuce and other greens inside a Baltimore County facility has shuttered, laying off 83 regional workers, according to a notification the company filed Friday with Maryland Department of Labor.
Bowery Farming, a New York-based company that runs the Nottingham facility and others in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, has closed all of its locations, according to media reports.
The company was hailed as the largest vertical farmer in the country and has operated in Nottingham for more than four years. Celebrity chef José Andrés toured the Maryland facility in March, calling it “the future of farming.”
Bowery representatives, including founder Irving Fain, did not immediately respond to requests for comment before publication.
An ag-tech darling founded in 2015, Bowery used robotics, AI and other technology to grow and harvest crops vertically in warehouses through a process that didn’t involve pesticide or heavy water use.
At its peak, Bowery was valued at $2.3 billion and raised $700 million in venture capital funds. The project was backed by major investment firms including Fidelity and First Round Capital.
And the farming company developed partnerships with grocery chains including Amazon and Whole Foods. It had been building relationships with local restaurants.
Bowery is among several vertical farming companies that have struggled to survive, with consumers unwilling to pay higher prices for more sustainable, but also more expensive-to-grow, produce, Axios has reported.
In 2022, Bowery took on $150 million in debt, and last year the company underwent numerous rounds of layoffs, Axios and Pitchbot reported.
You might think AI is coming for developers' jobs—after all, AWS CEO Matt Garman predicted most developers won't be coding within two years, and former Stabil
by Mónica Cordero, Investigate Midwest/Report for America, Investigate Midwest November 6, 2024 by Mónica Cordero, Investigate Midwest/Report for Amer
I was so nervous about job stability and unemployment when I graduated from college.I decided to take a job across the countr
Stellantis NV said Wednesday it plans to cut a shift at its Toledo plant that builds Jeep Gladiator pickups, which will result in about 1,100 indefinite layoffs