Scenic Valley Farms
Scenic Valley Farms is a privately held Upper Midwest farm operator that designs and manages semi-automated high tunnels with proprietary climate control and solar thermal heating, producing organic tomatoes and pioneering commercial blackberry cultivation for regional farmers markets, food co-ops, and restaurants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersRosemount, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Scenic Valley Farms does
Scenic Valley Farms is a privately held, founder-owned agricultural company founded in 2009 that operates controlled-environment high tunnel farms in Rosemount, Minnesota (West) and Readstown, Wisconsin (East). Its core technology stack consists of semi-automated high tunnels equipped with a proprietary Environmental Management System (EMS) — a sensor-driven automated climate control platform that wirelessly relays environmental data to a control unit and a web portal for remote monitoring and automation of ventilation, circulation, irrigation, and fertigation — and a subterranean solar thermal heating system that delivers 15–20°F warmer soil temperatures relative to unheated tunnels. The company is a pioneer in commercial floricane blackberry production in the Upper Midwest, an area where field production of these varieties is precluded by winter conditions.
The business operates a hybrid model combining direct-to-consumer produce sales (organic tomatoes, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, peppers) via farmers markets, four regional food co-ops, and restaurants, with non-dilutive grant funding from the USDA SBIR program (~$100,000 for EMS development) and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. A secondary revenue and ecosystem-building stream comes from educational field days and conference presentations targeting fellow growers, positioning the EMS and high tunnel know-how as a future commercial product. Reported peak-season tomato yields of approximately 800 lbs per week — exceeding initial expectations of 500–600 lbs — suggest operational outperformance versus comparable University of Minnesota research benchmarks.
The company is small, family-owned (Erik and Craig Gundacker), and operates with a minimal disclosed management team beyond High Tunnel Production Manager Jesse Downs. All available evidence is concentrated in 2011; there are no patents, certifications, M&A activity, or post-2011 funding or revenue data points in the source material.
Scenic Valley Farms firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Scenic Valley Farms
- Legal name
- Scenic Valley Farms
- Website
- https://scenicvalleyfarms.wordpress.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Scenic Valley Farms is a privately held Upper Midwest farm operator that designs and manages semi-automated high tunnels with proprietary climate control and solar thermal heating, producing organic tomatoes and pioneering commercial blackberry cultivation for regional farmers markets, food co-ops, and restaurants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Scenic Valley Farms industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Organic Specialty Produce
- NAICS
- Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141), Strawberry Farming (111333), Other Food Crops Grown Under Cover (111419), Vegetable and Melon Farming (1112)
- SIC
- Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Greenhouse Fruit & Berry Production (Strawberries, Specialty Fruits) (AFAGAHAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Organic Greenhouse & Protected Crop Farming (High Tunnels, Greenhouses) (AFAGAKAD), Farmers’ Markets & Farm Stands (Fresh Food) (CRAHAHAE), Organic Produce & Farm Market Retail (CRAHAEAD), Produce Markets & Greengrocers (CRAHAHAA)
Keywords
Where Scenic Valley Farms is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rosemount
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Scenic Valley Farms business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Fresh Produce Sales: Sale of organic produce including tomatoes, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, heirloom tomatoes, and peppers through farmers markets, food co-ops, and restaurants. Tomatoes harvested at approximately 800 pounds per week during peak season.
- Research Grants: USDA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant funding for developing the Environmental Management System (~$100,000). Minnesota Department of Agriculture grants for blackberry research.
- Knowledge Sharing/Education: Revenue from field days and educational events teaching high tunnel construction, berry cultivation, and agricultural techniques.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Scenic Valley Farms product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Scenic Valley Farms is a certified organic farm operating high tunnel growing systems across locations in Rosemount, MN and Readstown, WI. It cultivates and sells specialty produce including heirloom tomatoes, floricane blackberries, raspberries, peppers, and strawberries directly to consumers through farmers markets, an e-commerce portal, food co-ops, and restaurants. The farm pioneered the first commercial floricane blackberry production in the Upper Midwest using proprietary environmental management and subterranean solar thermal heating technologies.
Product overview
Scenic Valley Farms operates as a high tunnel agriculture company combining controlled-environment farming with clean energy technology. The company offers a portfolio consisting of the Environmental Management System (EMS) as its core automated climate control product, high tunnel structures (semi-automated and solar thermal variants) as the physical infrastructure, and maintains two regional sub-brands—Scenic Valley Farms West in Rosemount, Minnesota and Scenic Valley Farms East in Readstown, Wisconsin. A primary mission is developing a commercial blackberry industry in the Upper Midwest. The company has been in existence since 2009 and produces blackberries, raspberries, and tomatoes through its high tunnel systems.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Scenic Valley Farms West: Research and production farm located in Rosemount, Minnesota
- Scenic Valley Farms East
Products and services
- Organic Heirloom Tomatoes
Quantifiable outcome
- Tomato yields of ~800 pounds per week, exceeding initial expectations of 500-600 pounds per week
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Scenic Valley Farms
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Scenic Valley Farms technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Scenic Valley Farms partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Precision Control Systems (Eden Prairie)corePartner company responsible for testing and benchmarking sensors, interface controllers, and software for the Environmental Management System before field testing begins.
- University of MinnesotaminorConsultation with Carl Rosen, Head of the Soil, Water and Climate Department, regarding irrigation and plant development research. Company compares yields against University of Minnesota Southwest Research and Outreach Center data.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Scenic Valley Farms competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Scenic Valley Farms financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Scenic Valley Farms leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Scenic Valley Farms funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Scenic Valley Farms M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Scenic Valley Farms
What does Scenic Valley Farms do?
Scenic Valley Farms is a certified organic farm operating high tunnel growing systems across locations in Rosemount, MN and Readstown, WI. It cultivates and sells specialty produce including heirloom tomatoes, floricane blackberries, raspberries, peppers, and strawberries directly to consumers through farmers markets, an e-commerce portal, food co-ops, and restaurants. The farm pioneered the first commercial floricane blackberry production in the Upper Midwest using proprietary environmental management and subterranean solar thermal heating technologies.
Is Scenic Valley Farms a public or private company?
Scenic Valley Farms is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Scenic Valley Farms founded?
Scenic Valley Farms was founded in 2009.
Where is Scenic Valley Farms based?
Scenic Valley Farms is headquartered in Rosemount, United States, in the North America region.
How does Scenic Valley Farms make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Fresh Produce Sales are the primary driver. The others are research Grants and knowledge Sharing/Education.
Does Scenic Valley Farms have an API?
No public API is recorded for Scenic Valley Farms.
What industry is Scenic Valley Farms in?
Scenic Valley Farms's product category is Organic Specialty Produce. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAGAHAB, Greenhouse Fruit & Berry Production (Strawberries, Specialty Fruits), with a secondary code of AFAGAKAD, Organic Greenhouse & Protected Crop Farming (High Tunnels, Greenhouses). Its NAICS code is 11141 and its SIC code is 100.