Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.-based Upward Farms is now selling its hybrid striped bass to restaurants and consumers, in partnership with Greenpoint Fish and Lobster in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
The indoor vertical farming company was founded in 2013 and has been selling its microgreens through New York City retailers including Whole Foods Market. Until this month, the firm had not sold its fish commercially.
“Greenpoint Fish and Lobster is a fantastic partner,” Upward Farms CEO and Cofounder Jason Green told SeafoodSource. "With them, we are able to provide fish to both retail customers at their fish market and restaurants, caterers, and other hospitality providers through their wholesale business. We’re confident that we will grow with Greenpoint FIsh and Lobster as we continue to scale up production.”
Upward Farms CEO Jason Green previously declined to reveal to SeafoodSource the volumes his company’s farms are producing. The company’s hybrid striped bass are harvested as a 1.5- to 2-pound fish that's “light, flaky, and buttery, with a taste that is the ideal balance of sweet and succulent, and a skin that crisps beautifully,” Green said.
The Best Aquaculture Practices-certified fish are raised in a controlled environment without the use of hormones, antibiotics, or mercury, and are rich in minerals, the company said. As the fish grow, they provide the fertilizer that nourishes Upward Farms’ USDA-certified organic microgreens.
“Upward Farms has a marked reputation for providing quality, flavorful products without compromising on environmental sustainability through their best-in-class aquaculture approach. We’re proud to be able to support a local business and honored to be the first seafood wholesale and retail location for Upward Farms fish,” Greenpoint Fish and Lobster Fish Buyer and Cofounder Vinny Milburn said in a press release.
Upward Farms’ first two farms are in Brooklyn, and it has additional vertical farms in development.
Photo courtesy of Upward Farms
