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WATCH NOW: Square Roots newest, largest operation celebrates opening, empowering Kenosha's next generation of farmers

Terry Flores
Aug 17, 2022
Aug 17, 2022 Updated Feb 22, 2023

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Dill grown at Square Roots in Kenosha

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Parsley locally grown at Square Roots Kenosha.

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Basil locally grown at Square Roots Kenosha.

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Microgreens locally grown at Square Roots Kenosha.

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Assorted locally grown herbs and greens from Square Roots Kenosha.

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Square Roots Kenosha mesclun salad production

Assistant farm manager Andrew Basinger of Kenosha tends to salad greens at the new Square Roots indoor farm on the Gordon Food Services campus at 10915 38th St. in Kenosha.

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Worker at Square Roots Kenosha looks over a wall of dill.

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Craig Ochs, a Kenosha apprentice grower, carefully snips basil growing along a wall at Square Roots Kenosha indoor farm on the Gordon Food Services campus at 10915 38th St. in Kenosha. The basil, along with other herbs and salads, is then packaged and distributed to select grocery stores locally and in the region.

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An exterior view of Square Roots Kenosha's indoor farm operation.

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Apprentice grower Barbara Poppie of Kenosha pulls out a tray of greens grown at Square Roots indoor farm on the Gordon Food Services campus at 10915 38th St. in Kenosha.

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Shelby Sanderson an apprentice grower from Kenosha harvests parsley for packaging at the new Square Roots indoor farm on the Gordon Food Services campus at 10915 38th St. in Kenosha.

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Terry Flores

Freshly grown basil in February. In Kenosha. You heard that right.

Workers at Square Roots urban farm in Kenosha hold ends of a ribbon as Kimball Musk, the farm's co-founder, Hans Hansen, regional general manager of Gordon Food Service and Tobias Peggs, farm co-founder and CEO, pose for the celebratory ribbon cutting. The farm began operating in late January.

Officials, however, held the soft opening with the invitation only-celebration on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022, that included presentations, along with tastings of the on-site grown greens on al fresco appetizers and beverages, and outdoor window tours of the indoor urban farm, which operates inside 20 repurposed shipping containers on two levels. The climate in each of the containers is carefully controlled for salad greens, microgreens and herbs, including, basil, cilantro, parsley and dill, among others, that can be grown year round.

The 10,000-square-foot indoor farm, which is located on the Gordon Foods Service campus at 10915 38th St., has the capability of producing more than 2.4 million packages of herbs and salad greens annually, according to company officials. Currently, two dozen people work at the Kenosha farm, which is the largest and most technologically advanced of its operations. Other indoor urban farms are also located in Michigan, Ohio and New York.

For additional details, check back later at www.kenoshanews.com.

Terry Flores