Superior Fresh

SUPER IOR FRESH Since then, the farm has expanded rapidly. Superior Fresh completed construction on its phase-two greenhouse in 2019, which increased its footprint from three acres to six acres under glass. Then earlier this year, the company completed an additional expansion, which means it currently has 13 acres under glass. “The greenhouse and our fish production are completely separate businesses, ‘’Gottsacker reports, “but we’ve spent a lot of time figuring out how we can integrate the two. Typically, people look at aquaculture and see it as a waste stream. We saw it as an opportunity and with that opportunity, we’re growing organic, leafy green vegetables in our greenhouse. The greenhouse was initially treated almost as a way to pull nutrients out of the water, so we could use less water. By integrating the two sides of our businesses, we are able to utilize a much tighter recycling system that delivers huge water savings.” Of course, integrating both the hydroponic and aquaculture systems at Superior Fresh is a complex undertaking. The farm relies heavily on its R&D department to develop new sustainable initiatives and develop as a business. “Our R&D department is evolving every day,” says Gottsacker. “Dr. Steve Summerfelt is our Chief Science Officer and he spent 25 years as the Director of Research at the Freshwater Institute. I would say Dr. Summerfelt is the best in the industry when it comes to recirculating aquaculture system designs and he’s really helped us develop on the greenhouse side as well. Also, we produce all the designs for our systems internally; they’re all proprietary.” In addition to its impressive R&D department, Superior Fresh has a number of other noteworthy features at its headquarters. “The site here is amazing,” Gottsacker notes. “We’re located on an 800-acre native restoration