When shopping for fruits and vegetables, people look for great taste, vibrant colours, freshness, and a 'grown in BC' label. However, it is difficult to find the same freshness and quality of produce in the winter, compared to the spring and summer when nothing has to be imported. Because the produce has to travel such long distances, it simply does not have the same level of freshness and quality that it would if grown locally.

 

In order to break into the BC produce market, Rainworks had to find a differentiating factor to stand out in the produce aisle. Competition comes from BC Hot House growers association and Windset Farms, but even these local producers must import from California and Mexico when winter sets in. Rainworks sets themselves apart from their competitors because their nutritious, high-quality produce is available all year round.

 

How is that possible? It's all in their method of growing: vertical hydroponic farms. Hydroponics is a type of agriculture that nearly all greenhouses use, in which plants grow in nutrient-enriched water (rather than soil) that is constantly cycled through a closed system and reduces the consumption of water. Rainworks greenhouses go a few steps further, though, by growing their plants in vertical towers and supplementing sunlight with special LED lights during the winter. This saves space and allows for growing high volumes of delicious, fresh, and local produce no matter the season.

 

It's just good food science!