With the news that Edible Garden AG is planning to establish manufacturing at 401 Des Moines St., formerly home to Natural Shrimp, and VeroBlue, readers have asked for more information about the company.

Here are key facts taken from its Form 10-K, a document submitted to the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission annually by all companies who sell shares to the public.

Q: Who is Edible Garden? Where is its headquarters?

A: EG says it’s “a controlled environment agriculture farming company.” In other words, it grows crops in greenhouses. Instead of planting in horizontal rows, EG plants in vertical towers to utilize the full height of its greenhouses. Its proprietary, patented software, Green Thumb, provides traceability of each plant throughout its growing process. EG’s headquarters is in Belvidere, New Jersey, 69 miles west of New York City. It was incorporated in March, 2020.

Q: What products are produced by Edible Garden?

A: At present EG sells 106 products, including 35 types of individually-potted live herbs, 48 types of cut, fresh herbs, two wheatgrass products, two hydroponically-grown basil products, 12 vitamin and protein powder products sold under Vitamin Whey and Kick Sports Nutrition brands, four fermented, prepared hot sauces and three chili oils. Hot sauces and chili oil are branded Pulp. Products are packaged in plastic sleeves, which EG feels retains freshness and reduces plastic use and waste. All products are USDA certified organic.

Q: Where does EG make its products today?

A: Year-round in 5-acre greenhouses it owns in Belvidere, New Jersey, and Grand Rapids, Michigan, and, seasonally, outdoors on contracted acreage in Grand Rapids and Ojai, California. The flagship greenhouse in New Jersey has been in operation since 2015; built and operated by a predecessor company, eventually bought out by EG.

Q: Where does EG sell its products?

A: At 5,000 supermarkets and distributors in the Northeast, Midwest and North Atlantic regions of the USA. EG’s largest customers include Wal Mart, Target, Whole Foods and Meijer’s. It sells smaller amounts to local grocery chains and restaurants. EG states, “part of our strategy is to reduce this customer concentration by expanding our production capacity … ”

Q: Does EG manage its own distribution?

A Yes, a subsidiary, EG Transportation, owns and leases trucks driven by its own drivers. As its products are perishable, speedy transport is vital.

Q: Who are EG’s main competitors?

A: Bright Farms, 80 Acre Farms, Gotham Greens and Plenty. Although you may not have heard of them, EG said “many of these companies may have significantly greater financial, technical, marketing and distribution resources than we have.”

Q: Is Edible Garden profitable?

A: Not yet. The company documented losses of $10.2 million in fiscal year 2023, and $11.1 million in 2024. This isn’t unusual for companies experiencing dynamic growth such as EG. Of course it strives to be a profitable company, but says in Form 10K, “we may not reach profitability in future. If, and when, we do become profitable, we may not sustain profitability.”

Q: Is EG successful in introducing new products?

A Yes. In 2023, it launched new hot sauce and chili oil products, and in 2024, two new lines: Pickle Party fresh and fermented pickles, and Kick Sports Nutrition. Kick is a nutraceutical product, often called “superfoods,” with purported health benefits. The new dairy-based protein drinks EG plans to make in Webster City would be classified as nutraceuticals.

Q: Are EG’s products subject to regulation?

A Yes. According to the Form 10K, EG believes, “the Food & Drug Administration has authority to regulate growing, harvesting, manufacture, including composition and ingredients, processing, labeling, packaging, import, distribution and marketing, and safety of food in the U.S.”

Q: Where are EG’s shares traded?

A: Since May, 2022, EG’s stock has been listed on the NASDAQ, the exchange where many start-up and tech companies are bought and sold. Its initial public offering was for 2,930,000 shares of common stock, with an exercise price of $5 per share. It trades under symbol EDBL. At the time of the initial offering, EG said this, “The company intends to use net proceeds from the offering for working capital, debt repayment, construction and/or acquisition of existing greenhouses, organizational build-out, transaction bonuses for executive officers, completion of a packhouse at its New Jersey facility, and general corporate purposes.”