Manaʻo kahi hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo ma Goochland e hoʻomaka i ka hoʻonui ʻana i kāna mau hale a puni kēia manawa i kēia makahiki aʻe.
Makemake ʻo Greenswell Growers, nāna e hana i kahi hale mahiʻai i loko o West Creek Business Park, e kūkulu hou i ʻelua mau hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo ma kāna ʻāina he 30 ʻeka. Hoʻolālā ʻo ia e wāwahi i ka ʻāina ma ka hoʻonui ʻana ma mua o Iulai 2023, ua ʻōlelo ʻo co-founder Chuck Metzgar i kahi hālāwai ninaninau i kēia pule.
Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Metzgar, e like nā mea hou me ka hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo hydroponic 77,000-square-foot i kēia manawa, i wehe ʻia i ka makahiki i hala a ke ala nei e ulu ma kahi o 3.7 miliona paona o nā huahana i kāna mau makahiki ʻekolu o ka hana.
ʻO ke kūkulu ʻia ʻana o nā hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo hou e manaʻo ʻia he 12 mau mahina. Ua hōʻole ʻo Metzgar e hāʻawi i ke kumukūʻai o ka papahana. Ua ʻōlelo mua ka hui i kāna hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo i kēia manawa, ʻo ia hoʻi kona keʻena nui, he $ 17 miliona.
"Ke hoʻolilo nei ʻoe i ke kālā nui e hoʻomaka ai i kēia akā ke hana hou ʻoe e iho ana kāu mau kumukūʻai ma ka awelika," wahi a Metzgar.
He ʻumi mau limahana o ka hui ma kona hale ma 1343 Hockett Road a ke manaʻo nei e hoʻonui i kāna poʻe hana me ka hoʻonui.
Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Carl Gupton, ka pelekikena o Greenswell, ʻo ka ʻoihana o ka ʻoihana e pili ana i ka māhele like ʻana ma waena o nā mea kūʻai lawelawe meaʻai, e like me nā hale ʻaina, a me nā hale kūʻai. Loaʻa kēlā me nā mākeke kūloko a me nā kaulahao nui.
"Manaʻo wau e ulu ana ka naʻauao ma waho, manaʻo wau e paʻi kokoke ana mākou i ka hōʻailona ma kā mākou mau manaʻo," wahi a Gupton. "Ua lōʻihi paha ka hoʻomohala ʻana o ka ʻāpana kūʻai ma mua o kā mākou i manaʻo ai akā ua hoʻopau ka ʻaoʻao lawelawe meaʻai o kā mākou ʻoihana."
ʻOiai ke kau nei ka manaʻo i nā ʻōmaʻomaʻo pēpē, makemake ka ʻoihana e hoʻonui i kāna mau makana.
"E hele ʻoe i ka hale kūʻai a e noʻonoʻo i nā mea kūʻai aku a me nā mea āu e hiki ai ke hoʻomaikaʻi. ʻO Strawberries kahi mea a mākou e nānā nei (me) nā melon hoʻohana hoʻokahi, "wahi a Gupton.
ʻO nā manaʻo o Greenswell e hoʻonui i kāna ʻoihana e hiki mai ana i ka wā i pani ʻia ai kahi kālā kālā $ 300,000 i ka waena o Iulai, e like me kahi faila SEC. Ua hōʻole ka hui e haʻi i ke ʻano o ka hoʻohana ʻana i ke kālā.
Wahi a nā faila SEC, ua hoʻonui ka hui ma kahi o $ 1.9 miliona i kēia makahiki ma mua o ke kālā i hōʻike ʻia ma Iulai.
Hiki ke loaʻa nā ʻōmaʻomaʻo i hoʻopaʻa ʻia e Greenswell ma nā hale kūʻai ʻo Food Lion ma ka metro Richmond a me nā hale kūʻai liʻiliʻi liʻiliʻi e like me Libbie Market a me Yellow Umbrella Provisions, e like me kāna pūnaewele.
Loaʻa nā ʻōmaʻomaʻo o ka hui ma ka wahi DC a me nā alanui Hampton. Ua hoʻopaʻa inoa ʻo Greenswell i kahi kuʻikahi me ka Ukrop's Homestyle Foods a me nā greens e hoʻohana ʻia i nā huahana o ka hui.
ʻAʻole hoʻonohonoho ka ʻoihana i kahi kumukūʻai kūʻai i manaʻo ʻia no nā pahu o kāna mau ʻōmaʻomaʻo, wahi a Gupton, me ka hoʻohui ʻana e kūʻai aku ana nā hale kūʻai i nā pūʻulu 4-auneke o ka hui no $3.50 a ma kahi o $5.
ʻIke ʻo Greenswell i ka wehe ʻana no ka mea hoʻolako i nā lau lau o ka East Coast a ke kau nei i kāna mau hana ma ka mākeke waena o Atlantika, wahi a Metzgar.
ʻO ka hapa nui o nā lau lau i ulu ʻia ma ka ʻāina e hele mai ana ma ke ala o nā mokuʻāina komohana, a ʻo ka hoʻomau ʻana o ka wai o kēlā ʻāina a me ke ʻano o ka maʻi maʻi i hōʻike ʻia ai ka palupalu o nā kaulahao lako e hoʻoikaika ai ʻo Greenswell e pili ana i kona hiki ke ulu i kāna ʻoihana.
ka poe ua hoʻokumu ʻia na Metzgar, ka luna hoʻokele mua ma ka hui kūkākūkā ʻo Mercer; me John May, pelekikena a Luna Nui o ka Center for Innovation and Development ma Kilmarnock; a e hānai i ka Pelekikena a me Luna Nui ʻo Doug Pick.