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V O L . X X I I I N O. V M A R C H 6 , 2 0 1 7 20 H ydroponic tomato grower Backyard Farms celebrated its 10 th year anniversary this February on the day its fi rst shipment went out to its fi rst and still largest customer, Hannaford. e Madison-based tomato grower has come a long way since 2007. It's producing 30 million pounds of cocktail, beefsteak and tomatoes on the vine in two adjoining greenhouses totaling 42 acres. It is the largest building in Maine, says sales director Duncan McSweeney. By the end of its fi rst year, in December 2007, it already was producing and shipping 17 million pounds of tomatoes from a 24-acre greenhouse, about a third of which were sold in Maine and the rest within same-day picking and shipping in the Northeast. e second green- house opened in September 2009, giving it 42 acres of total growing space and 175 employees. ere's lots of demand for vine-ripened tomatoes, especially in the harsh Northeast win- ters when many tomatoes are shipped green and turn an anemic orange by the time they reach store shelves. But times weren't always so rosy for Backyard Farms. In July 2013, a white- fl y infestation forced the company to destroy all of its 420,000 tomato plants and start over. e clean-out of both of its greenhouses delayed deliveries to some 30 retailers across New England, including Hannaford, Shaw's, Roche Bros., Walmart, Wilson Farm and Whole Foods, for up to 10 weeks. By the following month, the com- pany deemed the new starter plants for a second crop to be inferior and had to fi nd a new supplier. All but essential personnel were furloughed after Labor Day and then hired back as needed. By October the two green- houses were up and operational. And by December 2013, all employees were rehired and the company began ship- ping its new crop to stores. It was a diffi cult time. But the company made a strong come- back, says Stuart Jablon, who joined Backyard Farms in June 2014 as presi- dent and chief operating offi cer after spending 20 years at Dole Food Co. "We came back from it and are profi table now," he says. "At any one point we have about 11 million toma- toes in various stages of development." About 350,000 to 500,000 pounds of tomatoes are shipped weekly. e 30 million pounds shipped per year translates into 90 million indi- vidual tomatoes. About 60% of those are clustered tomatoes on the vine, 15% to 20% are cocktails sold in small boxes and the rest are beefsteaks. e company also sells the so-called "ugly" or slightly deformed fruit that still is good to eat or use for cooking. About 92% to 95% of the tomatoes are sal- able as is, while the ugly fruit or what Jablon calls "whoppers" amount to about 450,000 pounds or so a year. at's a lot of poundage for produce that can bruise and requires delicate handling. "It's diffi cult, but it's really rewarding, because you work with something living every day," says Brady Sinclair, who was recently promoted to assistant grower and has been at the company eight-and-one-half years. Adds marketing director Jim Darroch, " ere's such an emotional connection to tomatoes by customers. Everyone can remember picking a warm one in their back yard as a kid and having the seeds squirt out as they ate it." Magic on the vine On a recent visit, we donned paper lab coats and booties before walking into the greenhouse to protect the plants from anything we might shed. We walk into the fi rst greenhouse. It's warm and humid and smells alive, with growlights brightening the natu- ral light and illuminating plants grow- ing on either side of the center aisle as far as the eye can see. e plants diff er in several ways from those planted in soil. ey are on waist-high trays, and each is planted on a "rockroll" to anchor it, then is put onto a long plank of rockwool fi lled P H O T O / DAV E C L O U G H P H O T O / DAV E C L O U G H Fields of dreams Backyard Farms marks 10 years of fresh-picked, year-round tomatoes in the heart of Maine F O C U S Stuart Jablon, president and COO of Backyard Farms, in one part of the 42 acres of greenhouse space. Backyard Farms 131 River Road, Madison President: Stuart Jablon Founded: 2007 Business: Growing and selling hydroponic tomatoes Employees: 215 Revenue: Less than $100 million Contact: www.backyardfarms.com Jim Darroch, director of marketing: Jim.Darroch@backyardfarms.com / 858-5743

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