80 Acres Farms, the indoor agriculture company whose produce was distributed through Walmart, Albertsons, Safeway, H-E-B, Meijer, and other major retailers, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection and is winding down operations.
The company filed Aug. 25 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, listing both assets and liabilities of between $100 million and $500 million. Court records list between 200 and 999 creditors.
The filing comes after 80 Acres Farms said it had been unable to secure the additional capital needed to continue operating. “After an exhaustive effort to find a way forward, 80 Acres Farms is winding down operations,” CEO and co-founder Mike Zelkind said in a statement reported by AgFunderNews.
The bankruptcy represents a sharp reversal for a company that had expanded rapidly and built a national retail presence around indoor-grown salads, herbs, microgreens and other produce.
Retail Footprint Reached Major Grocery Chains
80 Acres Farms operated controlled-environment indoor farms designed to produce fresh food throughout the year without relying on traditional outdoor growing conditions.
Its products included salad blends, salad kits, herbs, microgreens, tomatoes and dressings, with the company saying its products reached more than 17,000 retail locations nationally. As recently as January, 80 Acres Farms announced a nationwide expansion of its microgreens business.
The rollout included Albertsons, Dorothy Lane Market, The Fresh Market, H-E-B, King Soopers, Mariano’s, Meijer, Metro Market, Pick ‘n Save, Safeway, and Walmart. The company also distributed microgreens to foodservice customers through US Foods.
At the time, Zelkind said the expansion reflected retailers’ confidence in the company’s ability to supply the products consistently at scale. “Microgreens deliver some of the most concentrated flavor and nutrition you’ll find in fresh produce, which is why they’ve been an important part of our business for years,” Zelkind said when the expansion was announced.
The company’s growth had accelerated in 2025 when 80 Acres Farms merged with Soli Organic, another major controlled-environment agriculture company.
The companies said the combination would create one of the world’s largest indoor farming networks, with a national production and distribution system serving thousands of retail locations. 80 Acres Farms had raised more than $350 million as it expanded its operations, according to AgFunderNews.
Indoor Farming Sector Faces Continued Pressure
The company’s failure is the latest in a series of financial setbacks across the vertical and indoor farming industry.
Bowery Farming shut down operations in 2024 after raising hundreds of millions of dollars, while Infarm and other indoor agriculture companies have also entered insolvency proceedings or substantially reduced their operations. Plenty filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2025 as part of a restructuring.
Indoor farming companies have sought to produce crops closer to population centers while reducing land and water use and providing retailers with more consistent year-round supplies.
But the business model can require substantial upfront investment in facilities, lighting, climate-control systems and other technology. Higher energy and financing costs have added to those pressures.
University College London professor Gail Taylor, writing about the sector’s difficulties last year, cited rising energy costs, competition from lower-cost traditional agriculture and higher interest rates among the factors contributing to industry failures.
Despite those challenges, investment and development in controlled-environment agriculture have continued. For 80 Acres Farms, however, the inability to obtain additional financing ultimately brought its expansion to an end.
“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 Chapter 7 proceeding will now move the company toward liquidation, potentially making its farms, equipment, intellectual property and other assets available for sale.