Ultra-urban farming was the No. 1 trend predicted for 2022, according to Whole Foods Market's annual Top 10 Trend Report for 2022.
Released Oct. 18, the list is accompanied by the retailer's first Whole Foods Discovery Box, a curated assortment of 10 products reflective of these trends, sold directly to consumers.
Gotham Greens, Brooklyn, N.Y., was named as a prime example of this trend.
The company grows herbs and salad greens in greenhouse systems using sunlight and 100% renewable electricity.
“Since then, innovation in indoor farming has ballooned, from hydroponics and aquaponics to mushrooms grown above our grocery aisles — and even fresh produce grown by robots,” the list entry says. “Producers are finding new, boundary-pushing ways to grow hyper-local crops and maximize efficiency.”
Built in 2013, Gotham Greens' 20,000-square-foot rooftop hydroponic farm at Whole Foods Gowanus was one of the first commercial greenhouse farms integrated into a supermarket, according to a news release. It was also the first Whole Foods Market location in Brooklyn.
The merged operation marked the beginning of a substantial distribution partnership that continues to grow in size and breadth:
- The company's locally grown salad greens and herbs are in seven Whole Foods Market regions;
- The salad dressings and dips are in all Whole Foods stores nationwide; and
- In November, Whole Foods' northern California region will be a strategic partner for Gotham Greens' first greenhouse on the West Coast — its ninth hydroponic greenhouse overall — when the first phase of a 10-acre project near University of California-Davis opens.
“On the heels of our 10th anniversary in operation, Gotham Greens is on track to achieving our biggest year ever with exciting momentum heading into 2022,” cofounder and CEO Viraj Puri said in the release.
Puri, chief financial officer Eric Haley and chief greenhouse officer Jenn Frymark lead the company.
Photo courtesy Cason Latimer for Gotham Greens
Since January 2021, Gotham Greens has expanded into more than 800 additional retail stores, bringing its total store count to about 2,800 doors nationwide with 62% year-over-year growth — compared to 52% and 15% growth for the indoor farming sector and organic sector, respectively, according to a Nielsen survey on packaged salads, lettuce and basil in the last 52 weeks ending August 14.
Another notable list-maker is reducetarianism: The practice of reducing meat, dairy and egg consumption without cutting them out completely.
“When animal products are on the menu, reducetarians make them count, opting for premium grass-fed meat … and pasture-raised eggs,” according to the list.
Other produce-related trends on the list are moringa, hibiscus and turmeric.
Photo courtesy Cason Latimer for Gotham Greens