GRAHAM COUNTY, AZ, August 19, 2022 – A pioneer in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), NatureSweet® welcomed representatives from the University of Arizona’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Eastern Arizona College, to tour the largest high-tech greenhouse complex in North America and discuss the potential future of continued CEA in Arizona. NatureSweet® incorporates unique and innovative growing techniques that save water and support the company’s commitment to sustainability.
“CEA leverages science and engineering to maximize food production and optimize the use of resources including water, energy, land, capital and labor,” says Murat Kacira, Director of the University of Arizona’s Controlled Environment Agriculture Center—a global leader in CEA research and innovation for more than two decades.
“CEA provides a number of benefits, such as predictable crop timing and yield, consistently available produce with high quantity and quality, resource efficiency, and minimal environmental impact,” Kacira says.
“We use Controlled Environment Agriculture to grow all our great-tasting tomatoes and other vegetables,” says Skip Hulett, NatureSweet’s VP and General Counsel. “This means substantially less water, pesticides, and depletion of the land. CEA is critical to the future of agriculture and food security.”
NatureSweet is the largest Equitable Food Initiative and Fairtrade-certified company in the world for greenhouses. The company plans to create an Innovation Center in the United States, a place that will be dedicated to research, development, and the cultivation of new ideas within the agricultural industry.
“I am thrilled about the opportunity to effectively collaborate and co-create with academia, seed companies, technology providers, start-up companies, customers, and consumers,” says Martin Ruebelt, NatureSweet’s Chief Scientific Officer. “The Innovation Center will accelerate innovation and technological advancement. It will solidify NatureSweet’s position as a thought leader in the industry.”
Although the exact location of the Innovation Center has yet to be determined, NatureSweet is proud to play a role in the discussion of CEA in Arizona.
About NatureSweet, Ltd.
NS Brands, Ltd.® is the single source solution for organic and conventional greenhouse-grown vegetables in North America driven by the consumer’s preference and demand for snacking tomatoes. Always vine-nurtured and hand-picked at the peak of freshness, only NS Brands, Ltd. produce guarantees great taste all year round. NS Brands, Ltd’s produce is carefully grown, harvested, and packaged by more than 5,000 full-time Associates, and is sold at major grocers, mass retailers, club stores, and food service operators in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Known for its amazing Associates, award-winning quality, and innovative packaging, NS Brands, Ltd. ® is also committed to having a positive social, environmental, and economic impact on the communities in which they operate.
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