Guelph, Ontario-based GoodLeaf Farms has become profitable across its vertical farming operations for the first time.
The news: GoodLeaf is a technology-enabled vertical farming operator that supplies retailers with baby greens, microgreens, and salad mixes grown in its Calgary, Guelph, and Saint-Hubert, Québec facilities. The company announced on Tuesday that all three of its farms have achieved profitability, a significant milestone for an industry where most commercial-scale vertical farming firms are still struggling to break even.
From the source: GoodLeaf president and CEO Andy O’Brien sees the milestone as a significant one for both the business and the sector more broadly. “Fifteen years ago, [GoodLeaf] started with a belief that Canada could grow fresh, local leafy greens year-round, even in a challenging climate,” O’Brien told BetaKit over email. “At the time, that was an ambitious idea. Reaching operational profitability validates that vision and proves that vertical farming can be both sustainable and financially viable.”
The context: GoodLeaf, which was founded in 2011 in Halifax, has spent over a decade developing recipes and proprietary tech that helps the firm maximize the yield and quality of its produce by monitoring and controlling light, air, and water delivery to its plants. The company, which counts McCain Foods, Farm Credit Canada, and Power Sustainable Lios among its backers, attributes its success to “years of innovation, disciplined growth, and strategic investment.” It also comes on the back of fivefold revenue growth over the past three years, as GoodLeaf’s total sales soared from $6.4 million in 2023 to $34 million in 2025. GoodLeaf said its revenue is up another 31 percent this year, thanks to rising consumer demand and expanded retail distribution.
Final thought: For years, many have questioned the commercial viability of vertical farming. iGrow News reported that 2025 brought a market correction for the industry that featured 14 controlled environment agriculture-related bankruptcies. O’Brien sees GoodLeaf as proof that vertical farming can work and contribute to Canada’s food future, with “the right operating model and disciplined execution.”
Feature image courtesy GoodLeaf Farms.