SOUTH BOISE, Idaho — An indoor farm in South Boise will soon be full of lettuce, kale, and other leafy greens — all grown with the help of tilapia.
Greenscale is opening a facility that uses aquaponics, a process that combines aquaculture and hydroponics. The system allows farm-raised fish and water-grown produce to thrive together while conserving water.
“The plant side will produce leafy vegetables, like lettuces or kales or even potentially spinach,” said Greenscale CEO Scott Meikle. “And then the other main product, of course, is the fish, the tilapia from the aquaculture side.”
WATCH: Get an inside look at the new facility and learn about their local partnership
Meikle explained that the two areas are separate — allowing each to be controlled and adjusted independently, but they do share water, which is key.
“We take nutrients that the fish produce, bring it over here and use that to grow our plants, and in order to conserve water, we push water from the hydroponics back to the fish,” Meikle said.
Both products — the leafy greens and the fish — will be distributed to Treasure Valley restaurants and small specialty grocery stores.
“Doing it at scale — at a manufacturing scale, which really can produce enough output to serve the local community in a meaningful way— that's new,” Meikle said.
To operate the new facility, the business needs skilled workers — that’s where Boise Vertical Farm comes in.
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“The people that we get, they've just turned the wrong direction and they need a chance to get back to the right direction,” said Jeff Middleton, Boise Vertical Farm co-founder.
Boise Vertical Farm’s program helps people recovering from drug and alcohol abuse learn how to work in a controlled indoor farming environment.
“There is a lot of crossover between what we have in mind and doing and what they're doing aT Greenscale, but there is a whole lot of synergy where we will be able to help people, they will be able to help people — great for all of us,” Middleton said.
A partnership between Greenscale and Boise Vertical Farm means people trained and vetted at the Vertical Farm will be first in line for jobs at Greenscale.
“To help make us better, but hopefully grow them as well. If we can help them on their journey, that's great, we want to be part of the community,” Meikle said.
If all goes as planned, the facility will be operational by December.
