80 Acres Farms to cease operations less than a year after Soli Organic merger

80 Acres Farms announced it was winding down operations after the vertical farming company was unable to secure the capital needed to continue operating.

“After an exhaustive effort to find a way forward, 80 Acres Farms is winding down operations,” Mike Zelkind, CEO and co-founder, said.

The company did not disclose when operations would end or how many employees would be affected. It also remained unclear whether the closure would include Infinite Acres, the company’s technology subsidiary, or GroLoop, its farm-management platform.

The announcement followed a period of expansion and consolidation. In March 2025, 80 Acres Farms acquired three former Kalera facilities. Five months later, it merged with indoor herb producer Soli Organic. The combined company was expected to approach $200 million in revenue during its first year.

Signs of financial pressure emerged in May, when the company notified Virginia authorities that it planned to close the former Soli Organic facility in Harrisonburg, affecting 80 employees.

At GreenTech Amsterdam 2026, Infinite Acres commercially launched GroLoop. The platform had been developed and tested at facilities operated by 80 Acres Farms, Kalera and Soli Organic.

Zelkind said the company had supplied more than 18,000 retail locations across the United States during its decade in business.

“We’re proud of our work, the problems we solved and the fresh, clean produce that fed so many people,” Zelkind said. “Unfortunately, under current circumstances, we could not secure the capital required to continue that work.”

The company had not provided a closure timeline or additional details at this time.