Leading with purpose: The Gotham Greens Story

Eleven years ago, the news of a company building an urban farm using hydroponics on a NY roof circled the globe and made us all wonder. Today with farms across America, that same organization is one of the world's largest and most commercially successful ones in the sector. That company is  Gotham Greens. Today on Foodtech Junkies, we meet with its co-founder & CEO Viraj Puri to learn more about the company's roots, evolution and plans for the future.

About Viraj Puri 

Viraj Puri is Co-Founder and CEO, Gotham Greens, an entrepreneur and innovator who has helped to advance the indoor urban farming industry and has paved the way for building commercial scale indoor farming operations in the heart of cities across America. Over the past decade under Viraj’s leadership, Gotham Greens has grown to be one of the largest and most commercially successful indoor farming companies in the world with nearly 400 employees and nine high-tech greenhouse facilities across six U.S. states. Viraj is deeply committed to weaving Environmental, Social and Government (ESG) principles into the DNA of companies and using the private sector as a force for positive change in the world. Prior to Gotham Greens, Viraj led start-up enterprises in the United States, India and Malawi focused on sustainable agriculture, green building, renewable energy and environmental design. He has been awarded fellowships from TED, Wild Gift and the Environmental Leadership Program and recognized as a finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 New York Awards and one of the “100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs of 2020” by Goldman Sachs. Viraj is a LEED® Accredited Professional and earned a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University.

About Gotham Greens

Gotham Greens is a fresh food company on a mission to transform the way we approach our food system, putting people and the planet at the forefront. Gotham Greens produces and delivers long-lasting and delicious leafy greens, herbs, salad dressings, dips and cooking sauces all year round to retail, restaurant and foodservice customers. A Certified B Corporation™, Gotham Greens farms with the future in mind through a national network of climate-controlled, high-tech greenhouses in cities across America, including locations in New York, Illinois, Rhode Island, Maryland, Colorado and California. Since its launch in 2011, Gotham Greens has grown from a single urban rooftop greenhouse in Brooklyn, N.Y., to one of the largest hydroponic leafy green producers in North America. Gotham Greens products are available in approximately 3,000 grocery stores nationwide.