May 2022 - 13

organically certified. For conventional
fertilization, Revol uses a traditional
mineral-based nutrient source.
Fearing upstream cattle farms
contaminating water, Revol wanted
to avoid fertilizers containing animal
byproducts that are typically found
in organic nutrients. Though organic
animal byproduct fertilizer is considered
safe, the challenge was to source organic
fertilizer that wasn't based on manure or
other animal byproducts, said Krieg.
After years of development, Revol
introduced the proprietary plant-fed
nutrient source. It is a unique
plant-based nutrient source that is a
clean and safe fertilizer alternative for its
USDA-certified organic line of lettuce.
After expanding the Minnesota
greenhouse, Revol achieved organic
certification for 25% of the facility
through using a plant-based,
non-animal byproduct of organically
certified fertilizer. In tests, Revol
saw significant yield improvements
compared to conventional fertilizer and
decided to make its California operation
75% organic.
" As it becomes more and more
challenging to grow these crops
outdoors, with the huge shelf life
component to it, and when you add food
safety challenges with leafy greens and
lettuces, CEA will become a bigger part
of leafy green production in the near
future, " said Krieg.
Touchy issue
Avoiding human contact with its
products offers heightened safety. All
Revol's baby leaf lettuce and greens are
grown in a touchless system. Grown on
boards and floats, plants move through
the greenhouse on water flumes.
In an automatic harvesting and
packing system, blades cut the plants
moving on belts, leaving remains
including the plant root system for
composting. Growing boards are
automatically cleaned and sterilized
before the process repeats.
of water to grow a tub of our lettuce
compared to up to 12 gallons in open
field production. "
Factors beyond agronomic practices,
including an experienced grower team,
are important for successful indoor
growing.
" The biggest thing is having someone
with experience who has grown the
product but also knows how to get it to
your customers, " said Krieg.
Planning for success
Knowing what your customers want
and being able to supply them with a
large enough product assortment can
capture a buyer's attention and make
it worthwhile for them. That can be a
challenge for smaller operations or ones
focused on one or two core items. As
some growers in the past constructed
growing systems around growing one
particular type of item. Today, growers
should research what their potential
customers want, estimate demand and
consider the most beneficial items they
can produce.
In developing their plans, growers
should assemble a total plan on what
they wish to grow, where they will grow
it, who their customers will be and how
they will transport it to the market.
" Others that have failed or aren't
doing as well may have had one or two
pieces of the puzzles. We feel we have
all the pieces of the puzzle, " said Krieg.
" There's a lot of new technology in this
space. Some people make the mistake
thinking everything can be done with
a formula and a computer. We're not
growing widgets. We're growing living
and breathing organisms. "
Revol was founded in 2016 by Steve
Amundson, Marco De Bruin, Jay
Johnson, Brendon Krieg and Marc
Vergeldt. Four were involved in Bushel
Boy, a southern Minnesota greenhouse
tomato operation started by Johnson
and growers Amundson and De Bruin.
Krieg was a leafy greens buyer for 1,800
Target stores, while Vergeldt later left
to do global fruit and vegetable crop
consulting.
With growing demand for plantbased
foods, Krieg said he sees a bright
future for CEA and potential for other
produce - including berries - to be
grown indoors.
A decade or two ago, most tomatoes
were grown in fields. Today, about 85%
are grown indoors. As 90% of leafy
greens consumed in the U.S. are grown
outdoors, Krieg said he foresees CEA
production taking a higher percentage in
the near future.
" CEA will be necessary in many
Plants in Revol Greens' greenhouses are
grown in a system using hydroponic
and traditional soil growing methods.
" For us, it's really about growing a
clean and healthy product, " said Krieg.
" The way we're growing, the plants get all
their nutrients from the growing ponds,
only taking what they need through the
roots, so there's no waste or runoff. All
the water we use, other than cleaning
and sanitizing, leaves the facility in the
form of a plant. It only takes one pint
categories just to keep up with demand, "
said Krieg. " We will see exponential
growth for CEA production, especially
for leafy greens and lettuce. There
are obvious challenges to outdoor
production. CEA will never replace fieldgrown,
but it will continue to obviously
be a major part of the category. "
For Krieg, Revol's name certifies its
making a positive impact and changing
for the better the whole leafy greens
industry. " We truly want to revolutionize
the industry and make an impact on a
broader scale, " said Krieg. VGN
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Integrate is a registered trademarks of
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2751 Centerville Road | Suite 100
Wilmington, DE 19808
Phone: 855-445-7990 | www.belchimusa.com
info.usa@belchim.com
VGN | MAY 2022 | 13
http://www.belchimusa.com
May 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2022
