February 25, 2021… The Bahamas’ First Hydroponic Containerized Farming System officially opened today at the Bron Business Centre. Eeden Farms uses containers that house state-of-the-art technology to monitor and control temperature, watering, carbon dioxide, and nutrient levels, and even simulate photosynthesis, thereby giving crops the ideal environment for them to thrive.
This revolutionary farming system is engineered by Freight Farms and brought to The Bahamas by partners Lincoln Deal and Delphino ‘Gil’ Cassar and the owners of BRON Ltd. (formerly Caribbean Coastal Services, Atametrics, and Enco International), partners Scott Blacquiere and Carlos Palacious.
Eeden Farms currently yields the equivalent of 5 acres of land in each container and supplies well-known local restaurants like Manuelo’s, Lois and Steens, and Café Channing Noelle. The potential for this method of farming is unlimited. From producing specialty spices like fresh basil to meeting event planners’ demands for peonies, gardenias, and hydrangeas, this unique farming method utilizes repurposed refrigerated shipping containers to create the ideal environment to nurture the farming process from beginning to end. It allows for maximum control over crops at every stage, from germination to harvest, which translates to optimum yield with minimum loss. The result is the potential to harvest up to 4,500 mature plants at the end of every growing cycle, all controlled via an app on a smartphone.
The environmental department at BRON is responsible for controlling the Eeden Farms app. Botanists Mark Daniels and Latesha Gibson and environmental scientist Gabrielle Neely use their knowledge and technical skills to ensure farm operations are effective. This dynamic team came up with the idea to get involved in hydroponic farming when they found their department out of work during COVID 19. Their expression of interest in such agriculture led to the group executing the project Lincoln Deal had envisioned some five years earlier.
Deal’s pride was evident at the farm’s official opening “This moment for me is a dream realized. Many years of thought, calculation, toil, and grit are behind what we celebrate today. I give God all the glory. We believe in making healthy, fresh, organic, and locally grown produce affordable and available to all people in all islands throughout The Bahamas. The future of farming is here, and we’re proud to introduce it to our country. This moment in time marks the beginning of a remarkable journey, only made possible through our talented and resilient Eeden Farms team, powered by BRON.”
Deal’s sentiments were echoed by Carlos Palacious, co-founder of BRON, who celebrated the innovation happening all around BRON Business Centre. “My partner Scott and I could not be more pleased to be involved in the production of sustainable healthy food for Bahamians. BRON is dedicated to ensuring that the people of The Bahamas live and thrive. Our core values are integrity, innovation, and community, and you see that in what Eeden executes and the millennials we hire. They are the reason for the consistently excellent produce you see, and they are the ones working hard to turn aragonite into compostable products, such as straws, through BluTerra. BRON and any company affiliated with it believes that the possibilities are unlimited, and so is our potential.”
Prime Minister Rt. Hon Hubert Minnis celebrated the potential problem Eeden has solved regarding national food security during his remarks before cutting the ribbon to open the facility officially. “Over the years, there has been great difficulty in attracting young people to the profession of farming, but the principals of Eeden Farms have grasped and run with the idea of the business of agriculture,” he noted.
Eeden Farms hopes to expand its operations to the Family Islands in the future and will offer tours to the general public in New Providence as soon as protocols around the pandemic allow. “We believe in social responsibility,” said Gil Cassar, Co-founder, and CFO of Eeden Farms. “With that in mind, the public can look forward to opportunities for internships, tours, and helping to feed those in need. Further along, we also intend to offer other Bahamians the opportunity for ownership.”
Eeden Farms is located at Bron Business Centre in Airport Industrial Park. Please stay connected with Eeden Farms by following them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @Eedenfarms or call them at 8255801.
For more information visit https://eedenfarms.com/
