MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – A Memphis startup is converting vacant land in blighted neighborhoods into urban farms, selling locally grown tomatoes directly to grocery stores within 25 miles of where they are produced.
VINE Foods, founded by Marcelo Marzola and Mike Larrivee, operates on Knight Arnold Road in Parkway Village, where five high tunnels on a former abandoned lot now produce more than 100,000 pounds of tomatoes per year. The company’s model is built around breaking the traditional produce supply chain and creating a replicable framework for urban agriculture.
Marzola, who is originally from Brazil, said Memphis offered ideal conditions for the venture.
“First of all, this is great soil. One of the best soils anywhere in the world is right here in Memphis, and right here in Parkway Village, so this is amazing quality to start off with,” Marzola said. “And beyond that, all the people. This is Grind City, where we’re used to working hard and challenging the status quo, and this is a great place to do something defiant in that nature.”
COO Mike Larrivee said the Parkway Village site is a proof of concept for a much larger opportunity across Shelby County…