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Oskari Kariste from Finland is a part-time resident of Naples, Florida. He has invested about $13 million in a venture known as Finn Farms in the Babcock Ranch community in eastern Charlotte County. He has 2.5 acres of seedlings in small pots of Finnish soil that contain seedlings of basil, cilantro, parsley and kale now growing under the Florida sun. He is growing greens for salads and his first customers are expected to be high-end restaurants and supermarkets. One of his employees, Kai Alp of Finland, helps by packaging the greens for sale. Kariste got the idea from people in Finland who are experts in hydroponic farming, or indoor farming without soil. He decided to test his idea for growing greens in Finnish peat in Florida. He said that his system will not convert the western world's approach to food and agriculture. Finn Farms is designed specifically for little pots of little green plants and would not work for tomatoes, oranges or sugar, which are Florida's big crops.
The Daily Sun, June 22, 2021
Port Charlotte, Florida
The Daily Sun, June 22, 2021
Port Charlotte, Florida