Urban Garden Project Grows Fresh Produce and Opportunity

(NewsUSA) - Southern California will soon have a new source of locally grown, organic produce, not to mention it will be home to one of the most energy-efficient urban garden systems in the U.S.

GreenGro Technologies, a startup based in Anaheim, Calif., that designs vertical gardens and indoor farming equipment, just launched a greenhouse project, BP?Gardens, that will provide local communities, restaurants and grocers with fresh, pesticide-free produce and culinary herbs.

"We are in the midst of a movement, and the demand for locally grown, organic produce has never been stronger," said engineering contractor Dien McCall, of ACS Corp. and Greengro's partner at BP Gardens, who has been firmly planted in the renewable energy industry for nearly 20 years. "This project is ideally suited to fill that demand."

The first phase of the BP Gardens project will start in Orange County, Calif., which features 30,000 square feet of greenhouses. Each structure will be refurbished with a variety of energy-efficient upgrades, including the latest in hydroponic, aeroponic and aquaponic systems.

GreenGro's vision of sustainability, coupled with ACS's Dien McCall's experience with alternative energy projects, helps guarantee that the project will have the smallest possible carbon footprint.

But GreenGro's greenhouse equipment and advanced hydroponics aren't only useful for growing vegetables. CEO James Haas finds that a substantial amount of his customers buy his grow lights and vertical gardens for the medical marijuana trade.

According to the Orange County Register, GreenGro is a part of several OC businesses that have nothing to do with medical marijuana sales but offer services or technology that benefit that industry. Haas estimates that some 60 percent of the customers at his storefront in Roseville, Calif., buy his gardening equipment to grow medical marijuana.

With 19 states having legalized medical marijuana at various levels so far, the market is proving to be a lucrative one. "Every time you see another state jump on the (legalization) bandwagon, business sales increase," Haas said. "There's a good market in it."

In addition to GreenGro, other companies are trekking a similar path, like Terra Tech, which also specializes in growing greenhouse hydroponic produce on the east coast, and private equity firm Privateer Holdings, which exclusively invests in businesses supporting the medical marijuana ancillary products industry.

To learn more about the Buena Park, BP Gardens, project, visit www.greengrotech.com.