Springworks Farm in Lisbon uses a recirculating aquaponic system in which fish produce fertilizer for their organic lettuce, and the lettuce cleans the water for the fish. The lettuce grows year-round in a small amount of soil, and the roots sit in the water and absorb nutrients from the fish waste.
Trevor Kenkel started Springworks Farm just before his freshman year at Bowdoin College in 2014. Ten years later, Springworks has 170,000 square feet of greenhouses and grows more than one million servings of salad a year. They also raised $22 million in funding, which will enable them to add an additional 120,000 square feet of greenhouse space and grow 5 million heads of lettuce annually.
Springworks Farm grows Boston Bibb, Green Crispy, and Romaine, with both packaged and loose-leaf products that they sell directly to Lisbon K-12 schools and through distributors to local institutions. Their greens are sold in more than 300 stores, including Hannaford, Whole Foods Market, and Roche Bros. Supermarkets, and their tilapia is available in fish markets.
To learn more about Maine’s Local Foods Procurement Program, and how to help Maine’s state-funded institutions achieve farm-to-institution goals, reach out to Brittany Peats, Maine DACF Institutional Market Development Coordinator, at brittany.peats@maine.gov.
