Hardee Fresh

What Hardee Fresh does

Hardee Fresh is a privately held indoor vertical farming company headquartered at 1340 US Highway 17 N in Wauchula, Florida, that produces USDA-certified organic lettuces, herbs, and power greens for B2B distribution. Founded in 2017 by Halton A. Peters, Ph.D., alongside co-founder and Chief Agronomist Tyler P. Jacoby, Ph.D., the company operates what it claims is the only certified organic vertical farm in the United States. Its product portfolio spans 14 SKUs across three categories: lettuces (Butterhead, Green Leaf, Mini Romaine, Red Oak Leaf, Green Oak Leaf), herbs (Basil, Thyme, Cilantro, Rosemary, Parsley, Dill), and power greens (Rainbow Chard, White Swiss Chard, Kale), all grown year-round under a closed indoor ecosystem with a 35-day seed-to-shelf cycle and 2x longer shelf life than traditional greens.

The facility's technical architecture combines controlled-environment agriculture with continuous precision monitoring. A 10GB fiber backbone supports remote monitoring that processes approximately one million environmental data points per minute, tracking water quality, nutrient concentrations, temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels. The farm is powered by on-site renewable solar energy, draws from a private well with a closed-loop water recycling system, and operates a closed fertilizer loop claiming 99% plant uptake. Resource consumption is reported at 95% less water, 97% less fertilizer, and 99% less land than traditional farming. Hardee Fresh holds both USDA Organic certification and Primus GFS food safety certification, the latter described as the industry's highest food safety standard.

Hardee Fresh operates a sales-led, B2B go-to-market model, selling wholesale organic produce to grocery retail partners and restaurant chefs throughout the Eastern US corridor. Inquiries route through a website contact form with a stated 24-hour sales response time, and the company maintains dedicated sales and info email channels. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and the operation appears to run on quote-based commercial terms. The company also runs a charitable donation program in partnership with the USDA and United Way of Central Florida, having donated produce to over 20,000 families in Florida. No funding rounds, institutional investors, or revenue figures are disclosed in available sources, indicating a bootstrapped, founder-owned operation with 11–50 employees.

Name

Hardee Fresh

Legal name

Hardee Fresh LLC

Website

https://hardeefresh.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hardee Fresh is a privately held, bootstrapped indoor vertical farm in Wauchula, Florida, producing USDA-certified organic lettuces, herbs, and power greens. It sells wholesale through B2B channels to retail grocery partners and restaurants across the Eastern US corridor.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indoor Vertical Farming

NAICS

Other Food Crops Grown Under Cover (111419)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) / Vertical Farming (Indoor LED Farms) (AFAGAHAJ)

Keywords

• Indoor vertical farming
• Organic produce
• Controlled environment agriculture
• Hydroponic leafy greens
• Sustainable agriculture

Headquarters

HQ city

Wauchula

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Organic Produce Sales: Hardee Fresh generates revenue through direct sales of premium organic lettuce, herbs, and power greens to retail stores and restaurants throughout the Eastern US corridor. Products include ready-to-eat organic greens sold year-round at accessible prices.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hardee Fresh operates the US's only certified organic indoor vertical farm in Wauchula, Florida, producing premium organic lettuces, herbs, and power greens year-round using tech-enabled precision agriculture. The company sells its produce to retail grocery stores and restaurants throughout the Eastern US corridor, with products harvested daily and packed within 20 minutes to deliver 2x longer shelf life than traditional greens.

Product overview

Hardee Fresh operates a certified organic vertical farm producing premium organic produce organized into three product lines: Organic Lettuces (Butterhead, Green Leaf, Mini Romaine, Red Oak Leaf, Green Oak Leaf), Organic Herbs (Basil, Thyme, Cilantro, Rosemary, Parsley, Dill), and Organic Power Greens (Rainbow Chard, White Swiss Chard, Kale). All products are grown year-round in a closed indoor ecosystem, harvested daily at peak freshness, and offer 2x longer shelf life compared to traditional greens. The company sells to retail and restaurant partners throughout the Eastern corridor, with products grown in Wauchula, Florida.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organic Lettuces Organic lettuce varieties grown in Hardee Fresh's controlled indoor vertical farm environment, marketed to retail and restaurant customers for fresh consumption. Includes Butterhead, Green Leaf, Mini Romaine, Red Oak Leaf, and Green Oak Leaf lettuces grown year-round with 2x longer shelf life than traditional greens.
• Organic Herbs Organic culinary herbs grown in Hardee Fresh's indoor vertical farm, sold to retail and restaurant customers. Includes Basil, Thyme, Cilantro, Rosemary, Parsley, and Dill, harvested at peak freshness and packed within 20 minutes of picking.
• Organic Power Greens Organic nutrient-dense leafy greens grown in Hardee Fresh's indoor vertical farm, sold to retail and restaurant customers. Includes Rainbow Chard, White Swiss Chard, and Kale, harvested fresh 365 days a year.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% less water consumption than traditional farming
• +7 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BrightFarms: Irvington, NY-based greenhouse operator producing packaged salad greens for retail grocery. Direct peer in indoor-grown greens distributed through Eastern US supermarket channels.
• AeroFarms: Newark-based indoor vertical farming operator producing leafy greens via aeroponic CEA. Most direct comparable in product mix, indoor CEA technology, and B2B retail/food-service distribution, though AeroFarms filed Chapter 11 in 2023.
• Plenty: San Francisco-based indoor vertical farming company using proprietary tower technology to grow leafy greens. Comparable CEA model targeting grocery retail, though with broader R&D scope and larger capital base.
• Bowery Farming: New York-based indoor vertical farm producing pesticide-free leafy greens and herbs for retail and foodservice. Direct competitor across nearly identical SKUs (lettuces, herbs, greens) and B2B channels.
• 80 Acres Farms: Hamilton, OH-based vertical farming company growing leafy greens and herbs in fully automated indoor facilities. Comparable CEA technology and retail grocery distribution.
• Gotham Greens: Brooklyn-based indoor greenhouse operator producing leafy greens, herbs, and salad dressings across multiple US facilities. Closely comparable business model, distribution strategy, and product mix.
• Kalera: Orlando, FL-based vertical farming company producing leafy greens and microgreens for grocery and foodservice. Closely comparable Florida-based CEA operator with overlapping customer base.
• Square Roots: Brooklyn-based indoor container-farm operator growing herbs and leafy greens for retail and foodservice. Comparable in indoor CEA technology and urban distribution model.
• Local Bounti: Hamilton, MT-based indoor farming company using stacked-greenhouses and vertical farming to grow leafy greens and herbs for retail. Direct comparable in product mix and indoor CEA approach.

Emerging players

• Infarm: Berlin-based modular indoor vertical farming company distributing through European grocery retailers. Comparable CEA technology and product mix, though operating primarily outside Hardee Fresh's US geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hardee Fresh