cross-posted from: https://piefed.ca/c/[email protected]/p/902428/after-15-years-goodleaf-proves-theres-profit-in-vertical-farming-betakit
Guelph, Ontario-based GoodLeaf Farms has become profitable across its vertical farming operations for the first time.
The context: GoodLeaf, which was founded in 2011 in Halifax, has spent over a decade developing recipes and proprietary tech that helps the firm maximize the yield and quality of its produce by monitoring and controlling light, air, and water delivery to its plants. The company, which counts McCain Foods, Farm Credit Canada, and Power Sustainable Lios among its backers, attributes its success to “years of innovation, disciplined growth, and strategic investment.” It also comes on the back of fivefold revenue growth over the past three years, as GoodLeaf’s total sales soared from $6.4 million in 2023 to $34 million in 2025. GoodLeaf said its revenue is up another 31 percent this year, thanks to rising consumer demand and expanded retail distribution.
Vertical farming is mostly used for leafy greens and shoots. For the energy dense staple foods that people get most of their calories from, it doesn’t work well. They need a lot more time to mature, what means a lot more energy needs to be invested and it immediately becomes unprofitable.