Meet an Unreasonable Venture

80 Acres Farms

Designing, building, and operating indoor farms with industry-leading controlled environment agriculture (CEA) technology.

Mike Zelkind

CEO, cofounder at 80 Acres Farms

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80acresfarms.com

Employees 501+

Headquarters Hamilton, Ohio, United States

80 Acres Farms has an innovative modularized, standardized, and industrialized technology encompassing software, hardware, and world-class genetics that allows the company to grow up to 300 times as much food per sqft as conventional farms, using 95% less water and renewable energy. Their collaborative approach led to profitable farming operations with partners such as Kroger, P&G, Siemens, and other world-class companies.

Energy & Environment

Notable Achievements

Designed, built and ran the only profitable commercial Vertical Farms in the world producing a broad
Earned a meaningful multi-hundred million $ contract with Kroger and 3 times renewed R&D contract wi
Established an asset-light license fee model and sold an international farm as a technology platform

Currently Operating in Ten Regions

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Press Mentions

May 28, 2026

80 Acres Farms to close Harrisonburg facility in July - Rocktown Now

80 Acres Farms announced plans to close its Harrisonburg facility in July, yet the company remains committed to sustainable agriculture. They continue to innovate and expand their footprint in the...

Read on Rocktown Now - News, Weather & Events in Harrisonburg, VA »

May 20, 2026

"Operators are spending too much time and money working on their systems instead of growing food"

In the context of the vertical farming industry, 80 Acres Farms exemplifies innovation by maximizing efficiency in food production. The company focuses on optimizing growing systems, showcasing how...

March 24, 2026

Vertical farms tried to compete with field farming. It isn’t going well

80 Acres Farms exemplifies innovation in agriculture, utilizing vertical farming techniques to produce fresh, pesticide-free produce. As traditional farming faces challenges, the company continues...

February 27, 2026

Building a Brand in a Crowded Category: Mike Zelkind, CEO of 80 Acres Farms

Grow Good · Episode

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January 26, 2026

80 Acres Farms co-founder to speak on future of CEA

80 Acres Farms, a leader in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), is making strides in sustainable farming. Co-founder Mike Zelkind's upcoming presentation will focus on the future of CEA,...