Baltimore County loses 83 jobs as vertical lettuce farm closes

An agricultural technology startup that grew lettuce and other greens inside a Baltimore County facility has shuttered, laying off 83 regional workers, according to a notification the company filed Friday with Maryland Department of Labor.

Bowery Farming, a New York-based company that runs the Nottingham facility and others in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, has closed all of its locations, according to media reports.

The company was hailed as the largest vertical farmer in the country and has operated in Nottingham for more than four years. Celebrity chef José Andrés toured the Maryland facility in March, calling it “the future of farming.”

Bowery representatives, including founder Irving Fain, did not immediately respond to requests for comment before publication.

An ag-tech darling founded in 2015, Bowery used robotics, AI and other technology to grow and harvest crops vertically in warehouses through a process that didn’t involve pesticide or heavy water use.

At its peak, Bowery was valued at $2.3 billion and raised $700 million in venture capital funds. The project was backed by major investment firms including Fidelity and First Round Capital.

And the farming company developed partnerships with grocery chains including Amazon and Whole Foods. It had been building relationships with local restaurants.

Bowery is among several vertical farming companies that have struggled to survive, with consumers unwilling to pay higher prices for more sustainable, but also more expensive-to-grow, produce, Axios has reported.

In 2022, Bowery took on $150 million in debt, and last year the company underwent numerous rounds of layoffs, Axios and Pitchbot reported.