Eden Green Technology pivots to “locally grown, globally available” vertical greenhouse systems

New leadership refocuses vertical farming company towards being a locally-grown, sustainable food solution.

Just down the road from Fort Worth, two brothers, Jacques and Eugene van Buuren, and their team of agronomists have perfected a state-of-art, vertical farming greenhouse. Now, the company is focused on expanding Eden Green from its R&D facility in Cleburne to a global footprint. At just under an acre, the greenhouse is the only fully enclosed vertical farm at this scale in the state of Texas. The customizable technology can grow 50 varieties of produce, including leafy greens, herbs, peppers and berries. Meanwhile, the way in which the van Buuren brothers have designed the platform allows brands, institutions, and even countries to locally grow large amounts of produce in an efficient, scalable and sustainable manner, in any climate, regardless of season. 

CEO Eddy Badrina, a Texas A&M grad who previously co-founded digital growth agency, BuzzShift, was asked to plan and oversee a fundamental shift in business, pausing its retail label, Neighborhood Gardens, and refocusing towards its mission to build, manage and license out the technology platform that van Buuren brothers created. Now, In this new global environment, the platform has the ability to provide essential food security, consistency of supply, and food safety in ways previously thought as “nice-to-have”.

Helping the world grow locally to end food insecurity and regional food dependence

In one year, a 1.5 acre greenhouse built with Eden Green’s technology can grow 2.7 million heads of leafy greens and harvest 11-13x more times than a traditional farm, while using exponentially less energy and water than a typical greenhouse. And because these greenhouses can be built almost anywhere, whether in an urban setting or right next to a distribution center, Eden Green makes it possible for produce to go from farm to shelf in 48 hours. Compared to the industry average of 9 days’ travel time, in which produce loses up to 40% of its nutritional value, and in which the risk of contamination and spoilage increases considerably, Eden Green’s ability to grow locally, with volume, sets it apart from conventional, and even other vertical farming methods.

We envision a world where "locally grown produce" is the norm once again, and where everyone has access to nutritious and fresh produce.

Eddy Badrina, CEO of Eden Green Technology

As Eden Green continues to scale, the vision of the van Buurens remains the same: to change the way people are fed and cared for, through regenerative agriculture and a redemptive approach to local communities. “We envision a world where ‘locally grown’ is the norm once again, and where everyone has access to nutritious and fresh produce”, says Badrina. Jacques van Buuren added, "We are so happy to have Eddy lead the team. His vision for the company aligns with our initial mission for creating this greenhouse technology. We wanted to be the answer to global hunger.”

Newest initiatives in the age of Coronavirus

With Badrina’s background in technology and government, Eden Green Technology has inked a new research partnership with Prairie View A&M, has been testing new product offerings with one of the largest QSR (quick serve restaurant) brands in the world, and is embarking on a global partnership with a European and South American retailer. 

In response to COVID-19, Eden Green has completely planted out its R&D facility in anticipation of a local need for food. It is also combining local Dallas Fort-Worth production efforts with a one-for-one online ordering and home delivery service with Profound Foods & Microfarms to match orders with food donations to local DFW nonprofits including Tarrant Area Food Bank, Our Calling and Jonathan’s Place. Read more about our COVID-19 response now. 

More About Eden Green Technology

Specializing in hydroponic produce production, Eden Green Technology is changing how the world farms. To learn more about our efforts, and how we can help yours, please reach out to our team.