Altius Farms Opens in the S*Park Development

Saturday, November 17, 2018 at 8 a.m.

Kenzie Bruce Altius Farms, a new, vertical, aeroponic urban farm at the S*Park development at 25th and Lawrence streets, is now open. The farm has 7,200 square feet of growing space and is expected to produce 75,000 pounds of greens each year. 1/25

Kenzie Bruce The first harvest occurred in early October. Harvests can take place year-ound at Altius because of its greenhouse construction. Plant grow cycles are every 17-25 days. 2/25

Kenzie Bruce Altius was founded by Sally Herbert, right, and Jeff Olson (not pictured). Don Dwyer, left, is the chief operations officer and lead horticulturist. Herbert and Dwyer met through the organization Veterans to Farmers, which provides training in controlled environment agriculture and conventional farming methods to veterans. Veterans to Farmers is now a partner of Altius. Herbert is also a United States Air Force Reserves veteran. 3/25

Kenzie Bruce Sally Herbert describes the collaboration between Westfield developers, specifically with Johnathan Alpert, as crucial for the farm's beginning. "The land at this property has been farmed for years, so there was an understanding to keep sustainability and farming a focus," Herbert says. 4/25

Kenzie Bruce Just six weeks after the first harvest, Altius has ten customers, several of which are local restaurants. Uchi, which is directly below the farm, is a customer. Others include Urban Farmer, Butcher's Bistro, Crema Coffee House, The Rotary, Portside, Goed Zuur, Stowaway, Famous Original J's Pizza and Marzcyk Fine Foods. 5/25

Kenzie Bruce Colorado imports approximately 97 percent of its leafy greens. "While the state is generally seasonal, we can provide year-round produce," Herbert says. Altius prides itself on being able to use only 10 percent of the water and land that a traditional farm would. 6/25

Kenzie Bruce Don Dwyer studied botany at the University of Illinois- Carbondale and got into controlled environment agriculture in the 1970s. He cites his former plant physiology professor, Dr. John Yopp, and traveling as inspirations for his work. 7/25

Kenzie Bruce Dwyer and Brian Adams admire new flowers on one of the nasturtium towers. "When I see green in the chlorophyl form, that's all I need," Dwyer says. 8/25

Kenzie Bruce The farm has two different types of growing towers: a 44-port tower and a 176-port, high-density tower. 9/25

Kenzie Bruce Herbert has a background in supply-chain management (she is the former president of GS1) and has always had food and traceability in her background. 10/25

Kenzie Bruce Herbert and Dwyer say the farm is operating at about 40 percent capacity right now; they plan for it to be fully planted by the end of 2018 and at full production within the first quarter of 2019. 11/25

Kenzie Bruce Nasturtium grows on a tower. 12/25

Kenzie Bruce In addition to being the assistant grower and account manager, Brian Adams is a Veterans to Farmers alumni and has experience as a chef. 13/25

Kenzie Bruce Seedlings are grown in Rockwool insulation, with heated mats beneath and supplemental lights above; this is the only spot in the farm where artificial lighting is used for growth. 14/25

Kenzie Bruce A nutrient-reservoir pump is connected to the seedling cart. 15/25

Kenzie Bruce Denver-based environmental activist and hip-hop artist DJ Cavem is a new volunteer at Altius. 16/25

Kenzie Bruce "It's tough to find land — every urban farmer will tell you that," Dwyer says. He adds that municipalities are often unfamiliar with urban farming; in Colorado, they are mostly used to grow cannabis. 17/25

Kenzie Bruce Dwyer estimates the farm would take up more than two acres in a traditional setup. 18/25

Kenzie Bruce Altius Farms is a for-profit business, which Herbert believes is integral to doing social good. 19/25

Kenzie Bruce In addition to the partnership with Veterans to Farmers, the farm plans to interact with the nearby community with school gardens and educational tours and events. 20/25

Kenzie Bruce "It's its own living building," Herbert says of the farm. "And we get to have eye-level contact with the plants every day." 21/25

Kenzie Bruce The building is naturally ventilated with sensory automation to open and close vents, close the shades and control a fogger. Each tower has its own auto-irrigation system as well. 22/25

Kenzie Bruce Altius is now working on adding a forty-person farm-to-table venue directly next to the farm. The venue will be 8,000 square feet. 23/25

Kenzie Bruce The name Altius means "higher" in Latin. 24/25

Kenzie Bruce Herbert says she is inspired by individuals who shift the way of thinking. "I want to apply that to food. There is room for us here," she says. 25/25

Altius Farms Opens in the S*Park Development

It's not uncommon to hear about a new restaurant in RiNo. But how about a new farm that supplies food to those restaurants? Altius Farms is a new urban farm at the S*Park development at 25th and Lawrence streets that specializes in vertical, aeroponic growing. The light and airy space, sitting directly on top of Uchi, occupies 7,200 square feet of growing space and expects to produce 75,000 pounds of leafy greens once it is fully operational. Here's a look inside.

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