ROCHELLE — BrightFarms will be suspending operations at its Rochelle greenhouse facility later this year, a March 5 Cox Enterprises press release said. BrightFarms is owned by Cox Enterprises. 

BrightFarms operates high-tech, high-efficiency hydroponic farms in the indoor farming industry and in or near the communities it serves to eliminate transportation time, distance, and complexity from the food supply chain. It offers fresh lettuce options, from classic greens to crunchy mixes and salad kits, available in more than 6,300 retail stores across the central, eastern and southwest regions of the United States.

BrightFarms will be suspending its operations in Rochelle along with locations in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania; and Hendersonville, North Carolina later this year as it “focuses on scaling and operating its new, high-tech, state-of-the-art greenhouse hubs,” the press release said. 

The decision follows a significant expansion phase by BrightFarms, marked by the opening of three larger state-of-the-art greenhouses in 2024, located in Yorkville, Illinois; Lorena, Texas; and Macon, Georgia.

BrightFarms’ Rochelle facility spans 160,000 square feet and produces one million pounds of produce per year, serving Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri. The Lorena, Yorkville and Macon facilities will each span 480,000 square feet and will each produce six million pounds of produce yearly. BrightFarms recently started shipping from its new Macon facility after openings in Lorena and Yorkville, the press release said.

Cox Enterprises called its greenhouses in Rochelle, Selinsgrove and Hendersonville its “early stage facilities” in the March 5 press release. BrightFarms was acquired by Cox Enterprises in 2021. 

“As the market demand for indoor-grown greens continues to rapidly grow, our larger and more efficient farms will continue to serve our customers with the strong quality and consistency we are known for,” Abby Prior, chief commercial officer of BrightFarms, said in a Feb. 26 press release.

BrightFarms opened its Rochelle greenhouse in 2016 to serve midwest markets like Chicago and Milwaukee. Rochelle was chosen due to its proximity to those midwest markets and the ease of traffic and ordinances that isn’t seen in larger cities.

BrightFarms completed a 40 percent expansion to its Rochelle location in 2020, to bring its workforce to around 40 employees, BrightFarms CEO Steve Platt told Jeff Helfrich of the Rochelle News-Leader in 2020.