A long-standing partnership

When third-generation grower Cole Mucci began developing plans for his high-tech lettuce-growing operation two years ago, the decision to go with Prospiant for the greenhouse and to help integrate the automated cultivation systems was an easy choice.

He saw the customer service and quality Prospiant delivered for dozens of other CEA operations in his hometown of Kingsville, Ontario, where the Canadian arm of Prospiant is based, a region known for being a hub for growing produce under cover.

“They have a deep understanding of the greenhouse industry, especially Tony Abbas, vice president of sales and business development for Prospiant. He talks like he is a greenhouse owner. He knows everything about the facilities, which makes it easier to communicate,” Mucci says. “They take the time to learn about the actual functionality of the facility. It’s nothing but the best with them.”

In April, Mucci broke ground on the lettuce growing facility, the official start of a company he founded called KingsOne Farms.

Once operational, KingsOne Farms will produce 250,000 heads of lettuce a week, all under a high-tech, 6.5-acre fully integrated greenhouse with advanced climate controls, hydroponic systems, real-time monitoring and a state-of-the-art mobile gutter growing system with advanced automation, all sourced, designed and to be installed by Prospiant.

Instead of relying on lettuce shipped from thousands of miles away, KingsOne can cultivate the crop in an optimal, efficient and clean growing environment, supplying fresh lettuce to Canada, the East Coast and the Midwest 365 days a year, Mucci says. And Prospiant has helped make this focus on sustainable food production possible.

KingsOne Farms has been two years in the making, and Prospiant has been a reliable partner every step of the way, providing information, not just direction, Mucci says.

Once operational, production will be entirely automated until the lettuce moves via gutter system to the warehouse, where each head of lettuce will be harvested at peak freshness and cooled immediately to maximize quality, with a team ready to package.

In addition to designing the facility, Prospiant and KingsOne connected with the right suppliers to implement the best technology, aligning with Mucci’s operational goals and meeting his high standards for consistency and cleanliness.

“It’s my first phase, so even though I’ve been in the industry my whole life, there is much to learn for lettuce production,” Mucci says. “Prospiant really took the time to not just push what they thought was best on me, but through explanation, we made the right decisions as partners together. That goes a long way.”

“When you visit a leafy green production facility, it’s a thing of beauty. Just looking out across the greenhouse and enjoying a canopy completely full of green healthy lettuce made me want to learn and be a part of the leafy green industry,” Abbas says. “I am overjoyed to be able to work with Cole and help bring his dream to fruition: a completely automated, state-of-the-art facility that will ensure a superior quality output with a fine-tuned operational focus.”