Row upon row of lettuce and basil plants bathed in an eerie purple glow at a Lakewood warehouse create an almost extraterrestrial image.
That’s fitting, given that the cultivation facility was designed by an expert in aerospace engineering and bioastronautics.
But for Tommy Romano, the future is right now, right here on Earth. His startup company, is gearing up to solve
Infinite Harvest brings a proprietary approach to the concepts of and hydroponics that produce far higher yields than greenhouses.
Take the eerie purple glow. It results from using a combination of blue and red LEDs that maximize plant efficiency and lower power costs.
Hydroponics — the practice of growing plants in a liquid medium — typically uses just 10 to 20 percent of the water required in conventional dirt farming.
But Infinite Harvest lowers water consumption to 5 percent of normal by using high-tech filtration for recycling.
By fine-tuning the mineral and nutrient content of water, the firm can subtly alter the flavor of arugula to a customer’s preference, giving it more or less of a peppery taste.
The technological innovations and controlled conditions allow Infinite Harvest to reap 10 to 12 harvests a year, compared with two for typical outdoor growers of leafy greens in Colorado.
“In Colorado, there’s a seasonal chasm for growing produce,” Romano said. “Even within the season, there are risks from hail, adverse weather, pests. We eliminate that risk from our system, and we’re filling that gap that local (outdoor) farmers can’t fill.”
Several growers in the state are experimenting with indoor cultivation using towers or racks to maximize production. Few, however, have reached commercial scale. Even fewer can harvest their produce and deliver it to customers within hours.
In production for only a few months, Infinite Harvest is growing butterhead lettuce, arugula, mixed greens, and Genovese and Thai basil for four Denver-area restaurants.
“I can call them and tell them what I want and have it in the door 20 minutes later,” said Jeff Garrard, executive chef of
Infinite Harvest chief operating officer Sean McVay said his prices are comparable to those from conventional produce distributors — $5 a pound for arugula, $10 for basil and $3 for mixed greens.
, a fresh-food cooperative, plans to buy 2,500 pounds of leafy greens and herbs from Infinite Harvest this summer for its 300 members.
“Our partnership with them is valuable to us,” said GoFarm’s Eileen Regan. “It helps us extend the growing season. And we are interested in reducing the environmental impact of growing food. They really fit that definition.”
Infinite Harvest, which has five other employees, is planning development of a second indoor facility and expanding its offerings to tomatoes, peppers and strawberries.
One high-profile crop you won’t see: marijuana.
“That’s not our goal,” Romano said. “We want to base our business on something that has a broader market base. Everybody needs food.”
Steve Raabe: 303-954-1948, sraabe@denverpost.com or twitter.com/steveraabedp
