WAPAKONETA, OH - Why not Ohio. That was one of my biggest takeaways from Red Sun Farms’ recent Ohio facility open house, as the team prepares to begin picking its first crop of greenhouse-grown fresh produce for the state and surrounding areas. And “Ohio Proud” only scratches the surface of the program, which taps into the company’s commitment to the Ohio community, its economy, and beyond.

The afternoon’s line-up was a host of individuals across the board from PMA’s CEO Cathy Burns, and Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture to Red Sun’s own President Jim DiMenna and Vice President of Golden Fresh Farms Ohio facility, Paul J. Mastronardi. The day wrapped up with ribbon cutting, attended by friends, industry members, local and national news outlets, and local officials to the pleasure of all.

“This vision and journey began in January of 2015. It was a new year, and we begged the question ‘where do we go from here?’” Paul J. Mastronardi, Co-Owner of the project shared as he addressed the hundreds of attendees in the crowd. “After exploring many different states, it was clear within the first month of dealing with JobsOhio that Ohio was the state we wanted to be partnered with. It is incredible to experience a level of support and commitment that these shoulders carried throughout the entire process.”

So, let me walk you through the expanse of this first step in Ohio. Phase 1 of the new facility features 19 acres of greenhouse along with a 23,500-square-foot distribution center in which Red Sun is growing beefsteak, TOV, and cocktail tomatoes. In January of 2017, Red Sun introduced 200,000 plants to the project’s state-of-the-art facility with technology to lower energy costs and increase production in the growing season.

“This new facility is just one more testament to our constant innovation and promise to bring a premium product to market. Ohio has proven to be great community, state, and economy in which to grow the Red Sun brand and vision,” Red Sun Farms Owner Jamie Mastronardi tells me as we stroll through Phase 1 after the ribbon-cutting. “We can essentially create a sunny day in May every day of our growing season with the high-pressure, sodium supplemental lighting. Our ability to offer our retail partners unparalleled quality and flavor year-round is what truly sets us apart.”

This project is really just the beginning for Red Sun’s Ohio program as the team’s ability to expand and diversify their offerings is already built into the blueprint of its vision.

What could the near future hold for Red Sun’s Ohio portfolio? Potentially organics, the team tells me, as they give me a peek behind the curtain of future growth. All segments of retail have seen a heightened demand for organics, from big box stores and national chains to independents, regional, and mom and pop stores.

And as always, it all comes back to Red Sun’s commitment to quality, the care and value they bring to retail partners, the connection to the community, and most importantly the impact on the environment.

“We have been addressing our impact on the environment for years. You have to take action and be sustainable for the future. For us it has always been a choice, not an obligation,” Louis Chibante, Owner of Golden Fresh Farms shares with me. “We have high-tech water and fertilizer recycling systems in place to help reduce our environmental impact, and the facility uses 90% less water than most farming operations while producing as much as a field operation 20 times this size could.”

The location is also equipped to provide fresh greenhouse produce anywhere within a 10-hour transport radius.

It is an exciting time at Red Sun Farms, and the leadership aren’t the only ones feeling the joy that comes with such success.

As Cathy Burns shared as she stood at the podium for her chance to speak to attendees, both Red Sun and Golden Fresh Farms commitment to giving back to the communities in which they operate, is one of the most important pillars they have built their program around.

“Developing partnerships with customers, communities, and employees is, after all, in their vision,” she shared. “From supporting food banks with fresh produce donations to helping ensure that at-risk teenagers graduate from high school and then move on to post-secondary education programs, they firmly believe in supporting the community.”

As Cathy spoke to the crowd, she smiled and said that as she was walking around the operation that afternoon, she ran into four or five employees that worked at the Red Sun and Golden Fresh Farms facility and every single one of them smiled.

“You can’t fake that,” she said. “So what Paul and Louis and the team here have built, and the culture they have created here…was felt in the faces and the pride of each of the associates I came into contact with.”

That is truly a wonderful compliment to be given.

To the team behind Red Sun and Golden Fresh Farms, congratulations on this latest evolution and achievement. I imagine the next great feat is much closer on the horizon than we think.

Red Sun Farms