How Griffin Customer Green Mountain Harvest Grew Its Business by 25% with Heliospectra LED Lighting Solutions

Dave Hartshorn, John Farr and Ted Farr have been interested in hydroponics for decades, but the technology wasn’t fully mature until a few years ago. In 2013, the team founded Green Mountain Harvest Hydroponics with a focus on growing spring mix, summer crisp lettuce, basil and watercress. They began with a modest greenhouse that was previously used on a flower farm and eventually secured an account at Whole Foods that has enabled them to scale.

Heliospectra AB’s new lighting solutions have helped accelerate harvest cycles and dramatically improve Green Mountain Harvest Hydroponics’ crop quality and yields.

Cutting-Edge Technology

Green Mountain Harvest Hydroponics was using traditional HPS lights in its greenhouse before partnering with Heliospectra and Griffin - the company’s long-term supplier partner - to install 115 new LED lighting fixtures. Since these lights were a direct replacement of the HPS lights, the installation process was very straightforward and the benefits were quickly apparent to the management team.

“As soon as the new Heliospectra LEDs were installed, Green Mountain recognized immediate benefits from the optimized light spectrum,” said John Farr. “We typically harvested our summer crisp lettuce at 55 days. With Heliospectra, we now harvest between 42 and 45 days. The opportunity to accelerate harvest and create additional revenue cycles significantly scales our business.”

Using an optimized spectrum of red, blue, and white light, Green Mountain achieves better penetration and distribution of light down to the bottom of the plant canopy with the Heliospectra solutions. The new LED lighting also helped reduce light pollution that had been a big issue with the HPS lighting - in fact, the HPS lights had prompted calls from neighbors and even visits from the local fire department.

“The Heliospectra lights mimic the sun and enable Green Mountain to supplement natural daylight during the shorter winter days and adjust to changes in local weather,” added Farr. “The ability to forecast production and predictable, repeatable harvest results has proved invaluable for our business.”

Great, Consistent Results

The Heliospectra lighting solutions helped improve both crop quality and yields while lowering operational costs to bolster profitability.

The Griffin and Green Mountain teams note that the lettuce and basil plants are now sturdier and more compact, with less tip burn and yellowing than those grown under HPS lighting. The increase in fresh weight improves the value of the product for both consumers and the business’ bottom-line. Meanwhile, the Heliospectra lighting solution also enables faster turns and an accelerated production cycle, which will add at least one additional harvest per year and help boost revenue.

“I think the biggest benefits are one, the crop quality and two, the elimination of light pollution,” says Farr. “That was huge for us. Through the Heliospectra lights, we actually grew the business by 25%. Same area, just different lights. Plus, no complaints from the neighbors.”

“If you compare LEDs electricity consumption with that of HPS, there is a huge opportunity for savings which of course is going to be translated to the bottom-line growth for Green Mountain Harvest’s business,” said Mr. Ahmadian. “And there is even greater opportunity for the business to increase yields and improve crop quality with Heliospectra’s solutions.”

“John and many of our customers emphasize that the ability to control the consistency of production and forecasts enables them to take finished goods to market faster. Delivering high-quality produce to grocers and retailers on a consistent, reliable basis creates a significant impact on Green Mountain’s business performance and profitability,” Ahmadian explains.

Looking Ahead

Green Mountain Harvest just broke ground on two new greenhouses that will incorporate the Heliospectra LX intelligent lighting solutions and real-time software controls. With higher quality products, accelerated production, and lower operational costs, the company is well-positioned to succeed as it expands its products into Whole Foods and beyond.

Griffin and Heliospectra work with dedicated growers and growing environments across the globe focused on medicinal cannabis, commercial food crops and a wide variety of flowers and ornamentals.

For more information, download a case study recording or follow Green Mountain Harvest on Facebook.

Visit Griffin online to learn more about how their CEA and horticulture expertise can grow your business.

Visit Heliospectra online to learn more about the company’s market-leading LED lighting solutions.

Master Nursery Garden Centers Adds Griffin to Vendor Roster

• Griffin joins Master Nursery network of 150+ supplier partners
• Master Nursery gains new product and service options for member businesses in the Midwest, Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest regions

Vacaville, Calif., August 7, 2017 – Master Nursery Garden Centers (“MNGC”) has announced the addition of Griffin Greenhouse Supplies (“Griffin”) to its vendor roster, effective immediately.

Griffin becomes one of five distributors in the MNGC network, and the only supplier with a product mix that spans green goods, hard goods, retail supplies. In total, the MNGC vendor network includes more than 150 manufacturers, growers and service providers.

“Griffin’s broad offer and national reach are terrific complements to our vendor lineup,” said Gerry Docksteader, vice president of operations at MNGC. “This addition enables Master Nursery to expand product and service options for our members, especially throughout the Midwest, Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest regions.”

“While Master Nursery is first and foremost a retailer group, nearly half of its members are also growers,” explained Jim Rottenberg, vice president of marketing and retail sales for Griffin. “We’re confident that Master Nursery members will find value not just in our retail products, but in other categories including production supplies and seed.”

About Master Nursery Garden Centers
Master Nursery Garden Centers, Inc., is a member-owned cooperative comprised exclusively of independent retail garden centers. Founded in 1951, the group began as a small number of San Francisco Bay area nurseries looking to share advertising costs. Today, the organization leverages significant purchasing power for its members, with nearly 500 member businesses across the U.S. and Canada. For more information, please visit www.masternursery.com.

About Griffin
Griffin Greenhouse Supplies, Inc., headquartered in Tewksbury, Mass., has served the needs of growers in greenhouse and nursery production, and independent garden centers for 70 years. Griffin operates 16 fully stocked service centers, serving growers and retailers nationwide. The business also distributes live goods including seed, cuttings and young plants. Griffin is among the premier distributors in the U.S., with an outstanding reputation for operational excellence, high-quality products and superior customer service. For more information, please visit www.griffins.com.