Gordon Food Service, Grand Rapids, Mich., partnered with Square Roots, Brooklyn, N.Y., to bring the latest advancements in locally-grown, fresh produce to customers year-round. The strategic partnership will ultimately see new campuses of Square Roots’ indoor farms built on or near Gordon Food Service distribution centers and retail stores nationwide, enabling year-round growing of premium quality herbs, greens and more.

This partnership signifies the first expansion to new locations for Square Roots and its farmer training program, enabled by the company’s "farmer first" technology platform.

"Customers want an assortment of fresh, locally grown food all year round. We are on a path to do that at scale with Square Roots, and are excited to be the first in the industry to offer this unique solution to our customers," says Rich Wolowski, chief executive officer of Gordon Food Service.

Square Roots combines a high-tech farming platform with a unique "Next-Gen Farmer Training Program" to train people to become future leaders in the food industry.

Meanwhile, Square Roots’ Transparency Timeline enables customers to trace exactly how and where their food was grown and who grew it, simply by scanning a QR code on the packaging. Having partnered with Gordon Food Service enables Square Roots to bring technology-enabled local food to food-conscious consumers across North America.

"This partnership means we will grow delicious, local, real food at huge scale,” adds Tobias Peggs, co-founder and CEO of Square Roots. “We’re so happy to be working with a mission-aligned partner in Gordon Food Service, leveraging technology to bring real food to a huge number of people across the country, while delivering real social impact by empowering thousands of young people to become our country's future farmers."