Culture

Grocery Stores Near Seattle Are Getting Vertical Farms

QFC, a Kroger chain, has added mini-farms to two of its supermarkets and will roll out 13 more in stores around Washington and Oregon.
A worker tends to the greens in the new vertical farm at a QFC store in Kirkland, Washington.QFC

On a recent Saturday morning, two young girls stood in front of a large case with glass walls in the produce section of a QFC (Quality Food Centers) grocery store in Bellevue, Washington. They stared up at plants arranged under bright lights, then turned to fill a bag with sugar snap peas.

Their curiosity was shared by many other customers as they took in the newest addition to the grocery store: a vertical farm.