Mastronardi Produce announced expansion plans that include a new greenhouse facility in New York and the assumption of sales and marketing duties of Double Diamond’s product line.

With a goal of providing more access to locally grown product, Mastronardi announced that it will develop Green Empire Farms in Oneida, NY, which it said will be the largest single-build high-tech greenhouse, with 64 acres of lit growing capacity. It also announced a partnership with AppHarvest in Kentucky, a 60-acre facility that is one of the most sustainable and technologically advanced greenhouses.

Closer to its headquarters in Leamington, ON, Mastronardi will now handle sales and marketing of Double Diamond Farms’ production, with 140 acres of high-tech, lit greenhouses, with plans to add 32 acres by 2021.

“The increase in northern production is especially vital for providing our Midwestern and Eastern consumers with flavorful, locally grown produce even in the winter months, within a day of being picked,” Paul Mastronardi, president and CEO of Mastronardi Produce, said in a statement. “We will continue to increase the availability of local produce and meet the incredible and loyal consumer demand for the SUNSET brand.”

The moves have increased Mastronardi’s lit acreage by 250 in 2020 alone, with a total of more than 5,000 acres of growing capacity.