ROCHESTER, NY - Dan Barber and Wegmans immediately call to mind the state of New York. One is a well-known chef in Manhattan, the other a beloved grocery store. Now, they’re teaming up to bring Barber’s vegetables, produced by his company, Row 7, to market.

“Our goal [is] to bring more transparency and storytelling to the consumer around where their food comes from, beginning with the seed,” Barber said in an interview with Civil Eats. “That’s a conversation that has already taken root in farmers’ markets, but it needs to extend to retailers in order to change the way we grow and eat at scale.”

Row 7’s mission has been, from the beginning, to bring delicious and healthy vegetables to consumers. As it began to sell seeds to farmers across the United States, its products filled up baskets in farmers’ markets. Its 2020 harvest, however, will see the company’s orange badger flame beets entering into all 101 of Wegmans’ stores.

Already inking deals with Fresh Direct, New York’s online grocer, and sweetgreen, the fast casual salad chain, it seems that Row 7—and its inventive varities—only have room to grow.

Will other retailers start chasing after partnerships like this? Will we soon begin to see even more innovative varieties hit the market? AndNowUKnow will continue to report.

Wegmans Row 7