Ceres Greens is an early stage vertical farming company focused on supplying institutional and food service customers with fresh, local produce year-round. In 2016, Ceres Greens co-founders Jacob Isham and Greg Kelly met and realized they had similar aspirations to grow local produce for year-round consumption. Isham, an eighth generation Vermonter, Army veteran and finance professional, and Kelly, a savvy technology entrepreneur with experience growing businesses, compliment each other perfectly. They are committed to working towards a future where healthy food is available to everyone. With predictable harvests and the ability to grow food close to population centers, they believe indoor vertical farming is a way to accomplish this.

Since 2016, the company has grown from a 1,900-square-foot warehouse space to prototype their vertical farm and develop their plant ‘recipes’ to a fully operational 12,500-square-foot facility in a designated Opportunity Zone in downtown Barre, VT. The Flex Fund invested $75,000 in equity as part of a $330,000 round to help build out their grow room in their new facility and support working capital.