Hundred Acre

This interview details Hundred Acre urban farm, an indoor farming company based in Milwaukee, USA. The interview is with Chris Corkery, Owner.

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What is the origin story of Hundred Acre Farms? 

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We started Hundred Acre in January of 2022. Although we broke ground in August of 2021, we finished construction in October 2021 and completed our first harvest in January of 2022.

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We are the largest  indoor vertical hydroponic farm in Milwaukee. We grow and sell wholesale to our food business partners like Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Milwaukee Brewers, School system, Universities and Grocery stores. 

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What are some of the biggest challenges facing Hundred Acre Farms in the future? 

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• Dealing with record level inflation and labor crisis during COVID-19
• Being a model and doing something for the first time has been the biggest challenge so far
• Recreating nature indoors
• Finding and locating customers, we chose Milwaukee which allowed us to navigate and build relationships and attract talent that work in the space. Word of mouth has been a major part of our growth. Getting people in person has helped build a relationship in our community to the produce we grow. 

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What is unique about Hundred Acre Farms compared to competitors? How do you measure the impact of your company so far? (Revenue, Employees, Customer Quantity, Production Volume) etc?

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We focus on our inner city development process, by using distressed real estate as well as offering new jobs to the community. We established our business as partners to our clients. We model behind a community development and real estate strategy. 

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Hundred Acre Farms produces approximately 40,000 lbs a year, by growing a custom salad blend and basil. 

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What have you learned that you wish you knew when you joined or started the company? 

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The patience required to farm has been the number one thing I’ve learned and flexibility to change course when the time calls. 

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How can people connect with you or learn more about Hundred Acre Farms?

Instagram @HundredAcreFarms

Finally, we are involved in media production to produce mission aligned branded content. In that area we are launching into retail in Wisconsin to go with our apparel line that is offered online.

You can learn more at www.hundred-acre.org

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