A United Kingdom-based indoor farming company is coming to Carroll County, bringing about $100 million in investments and more than 200 jobs with it.
Oasthouse Ventures Ltd. plans to use Virginia sawmill products to heat its greenhouses and grow more than 45 million pounds of tomatoes over the next three years, according to a news release from Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office.
Oasthouse will distribute to major retailers in the American Northeast, Southeast and Midwest, according to the release.
The project’s first phase will include a 65-acre greenhouse at Wildwood Commerce Park, just west of Interstate 77, near the northern tip of the Woodlawn community. The three-phase process is a “major step” toward building a network of large and sustainable indoor farming operations to supply produce, an Oasthouse manager said in the news release.
“Our first greenhouse spanning 65 acres — nearly seven times the footprint of [Virginia Tech football venue] Lane Stadium — is only the beginning of our ambition to reshore fresh produce production closer to the end consumer, whilst creating jobs and prosperity for the region,” said the company’s senior development manager, Ben Alexander.
The first phase will include the tomato-focused greenhouse, a packaging house and a day care center for employees’ children, according to the release. The Brighton, England, company plans to start growing in 2026, according to information on its website.
Oasthouse will invest $104.8 million to build the Carroll County operation, which will ultimately create 265 full- and part-time positions. Phase one will create 120 jobs and bring about $1.1 billion to the region, its website says.
The company will contract with Virginia sawmills to provide 31,000 tons per year of hardwood residuals to heat the greenhouses. Hardwood residuals from timber processing include bark, sawmill slabs, sawdust and leftover log centers, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
“This project is a technological leap forward and helps solidify Virginia as a leader in the agriculture and technology industries,” Youngkin said in the news release.
Oasthouse focuses on multiple businesses, including electric vehicle charging, all dedicated to low-carbon output, according to its website. With the Carroll County project, Oasthouse aims to mitigate the U.S. dependency on imported fresh produce via “the largest and most technologically advanced greenhouse cluster,” according to the website.
“Existing supplies of fresh produce to the Eastern Seaboard, and especially tomatoes, are largely imported from Mexico and Canada with long transportation times, impacting taste, nutrition and quality,” the company said on a page dedicated to the Carroll County project. “Our location is four days drive closer to major markets, enabling superior quality fresh produce to be delivered to consumers.”
Youngkin approved $800,000 in grants for the project — $550,000 from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund and $250,000 from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund — to bring the project to Carroll County, according to his office’s news release.
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Mount Rogers Regional Partnership, Blue Ridge Crossroads Economic Development Authority and Carroll County combined to lure Oasthouse to Southwest Virginia.
Future jobs there will include soil management and crop production specialists, growers, plant care technicians, IT support, office workers, packaging machine operators and drivers.
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