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Eden Green Technology farms work through a hydroponic system inside a greenhouse in Cleburne. The company is planning to distribute 10,000 pounds of lettuce a week. (Courtesy photo | Eden Green Technology)
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Eden Green Technology, an indoor farm company based in Cleburne, is expanding its donation program to deliver 10,000 pounds of lettuce a week by partnering with Sharing Excess, a nonprofit organization that addresses food insecurity. 

The lettuce will go to food banks, such as Tarrant Area Food Bank and Harvesting in Mansfield Food Bank. 

Eden Green’s CEO, Eddy Badrina, said the new partnership will make it easier to donate the produce.“(Shipping) fresh requires a speed and an efficiency that usually doesn’t exist in the nonprofit world,” Badrina said. Eden Green opened its 2-acre, $45 million greenhouse in 2022 and broke ground on another $40 million expansion last year. The farm uses hydroponic techniques and grows its leafy greens in vertical rows instead of across fields. 

Donations were built into the company’s business model, Badrina said. 

The company tries to grow 10% more than what is demanded from its customers to account for variability in harvest, like lettuce that grows too small or has tip burn. That plan can create an excess of produce, which the company donates to local organizations. 

Julie Butner, president and CEO of the Tarrant Area Food Bank, said the food bank has partnered with Eden Green for about eight years. She said produce is often the most expensive grocery item to buy for families. “Having partnerships like Eden Green allows us to bring high quality, nutritious food to people who otherwise may not have access to it,” Butner said.The food bank mostly relies on donations to stock its shelves. About 40% of food given to the organization comes from the federal and state government. 

The food bank also gets donations from manufacturers and retailers, such as Hello Fresh, Walmart, Sam’s Club and Albertsons. The nonprofit partners with about 60 farmers across the 13 counties the organization serves.Currently, Tarrant Area Food Bank purchases produce directly from growers with grant funding from a new U.S. Department of Agriculture program designed to support local farmers. 

The Tarrant Area Food Bank will hold a grand opening on Feb. 28 for its new agriculture hub that will store and deliver an estimated 300 million pounds of produce to North Texas residents by 2026. 

Seth Bodine is a business and economic development reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at seth.bodine@fortworthreport.org and follow @sbodine120 on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

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