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Richmond, Virginia, February 24, 2025,<\/b> Babylon Micro-Farms, the leader for on-site indoor farming with over 300 micro-farms across 40 states and 5 countries, today announced the appointment of Marc Oshima as its new Chief Executive Officer, following an in-depth search process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI am delighted to have been appointed CEO to lead Babylon Micro-Farms and build on the original vision of the founders Alexander Oleson and Graham Smith to simplify on-site indoor farming and provide more access to good food,\u201d commented Marc Oshima. \u201cIt is a business with an impressive set of customers from Aramark to Compass Group to Sodexo across key verticals like corporate dining, education, healthcare, hospitality, and senior living. There is a tremendous opportunity to scale further and to nourish our communities with great-tasting, locally-grown produce.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u00a0With a career focused on scaling innovation across CPG, Media, and Retail, Oshima has been one of the pioneering forces for the indoor farming space, having served as Board Chair for the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Alliance and as co-founder of AeroFarms, one of the trailblazers for the vertical farming industry. At AeroFarms, he was responsible for driving its commercial success to over $25 million in annual sales partnering with the leading retail and food service companies. During his tenure, AeroFarms was recognized by Fast Company as one of the \u201cWorld\u2019s Most Innovative Companies\u201d and \u201cBrands that Matter\u201d as well as by Fortune for its \u201cChange the World\u201d list, and by Time for \u201cBest Inventions in Food.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Passionate about improving our food system to make it more sustainable and equitable, Oshima has also served on Board and Advisory roles for Food for Climate League, Culinary Institute of America, International Fresh Produce Association, United Fresh, Produce Marketing Association, CEA Food Safety Coalition, Chefs Collaborative, Montclair State Food Program, and Food Bank for NYC.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Due to its award-winning technology and customer service, Babylon Micro-Farms experienced strong year-over-year growth in 2024 and has a strong foundation to accelerate sales even further in 2025 and beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cWe are excited to welcome\u00a0Marc\u00a0Oshima to Babylon Micro-Farms,\u201d said Board Director Chris Meyers of Hull Street Capital.\u00a0\u201cHe is a dynamic, values-driven leader with extensive indoor farming experience, deep relationships within our target markets and is best equipped to take our business to the next level. Babylon Micro-Farms is just finishing a round of financing and is well positioned for the future with committed investors who fundamentally believe in the company\u2019s mission and ability to execute. The Board is looking forward to working closely with Marc Oshima and his team to drive long-term growth and value.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Oshima will succeed Marc Oosterhuis, who decided to step down after 6 years of service most recently as CEO and previously COO. Oosterhuis will continue to be a trusted advisor during this transition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0About Babylon Micro-Farms<\/b><\/p>\n Based in Richmond, Virginia for both its headquarters and manufacturing, Babylon Micro-Farms has been leading the way since 2017 for on-site indoor farming and empowering communities to connect with their food and make healthier choices. Its patented hydroponic growing technology and proprietary BabylonIQ software platform can remotely manage its network of modular vertical farming systems to deliver consistently fresh, nutritious and delicious produce all year-round. Recognized by Time as one of \u201cAmerica\u2019s Top Green Tech Companies\u201d, Babylon Micro-Farms is committed to growing sustainably with a fraction of the water and no pesticides vs. traditional field farming. Babylon Micro-Farms can be found worldwide at major partners like American Airlines, Green Bronx Machine, Intuit Dome, JW Marriott, LinkedIn, Mayo Clinic, MSC Cruises, SAP, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, University of Virginia, and World Bank.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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<\/a>\r\n\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\nBy Matt Kelly, mkelly@virginia.edu on December 10, 2024<\/strong>\r\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/babylonmicrofarms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Darden-image-2.jpg\")
A Babylon Mini-Farm, developed by two UVA graduates, allows greens and herbs to be grown in the kitchen. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n\u201cWe like to say that all of the people running one of our farms are not farmers,\u201d Olesen said. \u201cWe are helping people grow food who really don\u2019t have the time or the bandwidth to take up farming and learn the know-how behind it. That\u2019s the remote management piece.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s a great representation of putting innovative ideas into action and being able to reward those students for that innovative thinking,\u201d said Rebecca Duff, director of thought leadership for the Batten Institute. \u201cIt provides an opportunity for Darden to showcase to current students things that we\u2019re trying to do to be more sustainable.\u201d\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_10606\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"2000\"]![\"Carl](\"https:\/\/babylonmicrofarms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/darden-image-3.jpg\")
Carl Lasley, left, places basil starts into the hydroponic trays in the Babylon Mini-Farm in a corner of the Abbott Dining Hall. The basil plants then grow in a carefully controlled hydroponic mixture. (Photos by Matt Riley, University Communications)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nInitially, Lasley planted basil in several of the trays. Once they were established, he started parsley and oregano to fill out the array. \u201cWe are harvesting from around 40 plants,\u201d Lasley said \u201cWe will incorporate this basil into a vinaigrette and a chicken salad to be sold in our salad bar.\u201d Once the parsley and oregano are harvested, Lasley plans to plant microgreens to use for garnish on his catering and hot line. After that, the farm will lie dormant until after the winter break. Olesen said the company sells about 40 different crop varieties for its vertical farms, from salads to culinary herbs to microgreens or flowers, all with different yields and different uses. His company has about 260 active customers in Korea, Europe and North America. \u201cA big part of our work now, actually, is something that we didn\u2019t really see at the beginning,\u201d Olesen said. \u201cGrowing the food is really half the battle. The other half is teaching people what to do with it. And there\u2019s a real appetite for chefs and educators to grow their own food, and there are a lot of things you can do with that.\u201d\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_10604\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"2000\"]![\"A](\"https:\/\/babylonmicrofarms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/darden-image-5.jpg\")
A meal using the basil grown in mini-farm The harvested basil was used in a chicken salad sold in the Abbott Dining Hall salad bar. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nCharlottesville native Lasley, who has operated several restaurants and has been with FLIK for two years, is not short on ideas. \u201cSustainability and wholesome cooking is 100% ingrained in the ethos of FLIK, which matches my personal sensibilities,\u201d he said. \u201cI grew up either directly working with farmers or working for properties that had livestock and farms directly on the property where we would literally harvest the beans, go in the kitchen and cook them and serve them that night \u2013 where they would never even see refrigeration.\u201d Lasley, whose operation feeds between 300 and 400 people a day, may expand Babylon\u2019s offerings in the future.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe do have some events throughout the year that we might want some microgreens or specialty goods, and for that we can plan ahead,\u201d Lasley said. \u201cBut until then, I think we\u2019re going to be using the one unit that we\u2019ve ordered for herbs for the majority of its lifespan.\u201d\r\n\r\nAt the other end of the food cycle, the Darden School composts much of its food waste and partners with FLIK Hospitality Group to reduce waste.\r\n\r\nThe compost is sent to Black Bear Composting, which makes a cubic yard, or about 1,100 pounds, of the finished compost available to the Darden School each year for use in its gardens. The school is also committed to having 50% of the food it serves produced sustainably by 2030.\r\n\r\n\u201cThis is a step in that direction,\u201d Duff said.\r\n\r\n\u00a0\r\n