Sep 16, 2019

Revolution Farms announces new CEO

John Green was recently named the CEO of Revolution Farms, a leading indoor hydroponics farm in Caledonia, Michigan.

Green is a founding investor in the farm, currently serves as chairman of its board of directors and has served as acting CEO for the past three months, according to a press release from Revolution.

Revolution Farms’ 85,000 square-foot indoor farm, located on 76th St. in Caledonia, has capacity to produce more than 500,000 pounds of fresh lettuce and salad greens for Michigan and the Midwest region every year. Its lettuce goes from farm to store in as few as 1-2 days, less than half the time it takes for lettuce grown and shipped from California, Arizona and Mexico to make it to Michigan store shelves.

“As a result of growing closer to our buyers and consumers, Revolution Farms greens are picked at peak, which means they are nutrient-dense and stay fresh longer in stores and at home,” Green said in a press release.

Revolution Farms is built on a mission to disrupt the fresh produce industry by growing and harvesting hyper-local salad greens for consumers year-round, using advanced indoor farming methods and technologies. Its lettuce is currently available at more than 100 SpartanNash stores across Michigan – including Forest Hills Foods, D&W Fresh Market, VG’s and Family Fare stores, as well as through Doorganics for direct consumer delivery and VanEerden for use in restaurants and foodservice.

For more than a decade, Green has served as executive chairman of Founders Brewing Company, an organization he helped grow from a small craft brewery in 2006 into an international brand. He will continue to serve Founders’ during its ownership transition, in addition to his new position at Revolution Farms.

“We launched Revolution Farms to change the world by changing the way we grow food. Our revolution begins at home, by growing closer to where we live, more sustainably, with less water and land, and figuring out how to accomplish this in Michigan all year long,” said Green. “By growing on 95 percent fewer acres and using 90 percent less water than traditional farming methods, Revolution Farms can grow an enormous amount of lettuce and other salad greens while preserving Michigan’s most abundant resource.”

In addition to Revolution Farms and Founders, Green will also maintain roles with Odyssey Media Group and Cirkul. In addition to professional responsibilities, John is actively involved in the community, serving as the director of the Grand Valley State University Foundation, a founding board member of Grand Rapids Whitewater, serving as a board member and past chair of the Grand Rapids Downtown Market, and a board member of The Island School, an educational science and sustainability program for high school students located in The Bahamas. John’s unique combination of projects involving food, beverage and water quality, as well as a background in finance and brand building, makes him uniquely qualified to serve as CEO.