Soli Organic Inc., the nation’s only soil-based, controlled environment agriculture company delivering 100% USDA certified organic produce to more than 20,000 retail stores nationwide, announced two partnerships that will enhance the Company’s cost advantage, further improve unit economics, and support the continued development of the Company’s consumer brand, which makes high-quality, indoor-grown organic produce widely accessible, without the usual premium price.
“Soli Organic is relentless in our pursuit of technologies and partnerships that support our vision to offer our retailer partners and consumers nationwide a variety of nutrient-dense, differentiated fresh products in a manner that maximizes profitability while minimizing environmental impact,” said Dr. Tessa Pocock, Chief Science Officer (CSO) of Soli Organic. “Our cost advantage is rooted in superior unit economics tied to growing science and operational know-how – our ‘grow-how.’ The deep expertise and insights offered by the cutting-edge technologists at Koidra and the team at Rutgers University will help us further enhance this cost advantage over time. As a result, we continue to be well-positioned to build on our recent market growth and financial performance, keeping our organic produce affordable for consumers nationwide.”
Through a new multi-year partnership, Soli Organic will work with leading global plant breeding experts at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences to select and advance the next generation of commercial organic, indoor-grown produce over the next five years. Through this collaboration, Soli Organic and Rutgers experts will use state-of-the-art analytical instrumentation to analyze produce seed genetics and identify and further optimize flavor, aroma, nutrition and yield traits for indoor cultivation. In addition, the partners will explore opportunities to bring to market new types of produce that, while not feasible for commercial organic outdoor cultivation, may offer ideal flavor, nutrition and yield characteristics and can be grown organically indoors.
“Of the over 400,000 plant species on the planet, we consume less than 100. We have not even scratched the surface of the different flavors and textures of plants. What will be key to a sustainable future is identifying plants that offer consumers the highest nutrient density combined with flavor, texture and ‘shelf appeal’ and the lowest possible environmental impact,” said Dr. James (Jim) Simon, Director of the Rutgers New Use Agriculture and Natural Plant Products Program. “Our research and partnership with Soli Organic is an important step in identifying applications for cost-efficient indoor plant growth, with the intention of bringing products from breeding concept to produce aisles over the next five years.”