Millennium Sustainable Ventures Corp. (Ticker: MILC) (“MILC” or the
“Company”) today announced that it is expanding its sustainable
greenhouse cultivation activities by establishing its first produce
related operations. A subsidiary of MILC, Millennium Produce of
Nebraska LLC, (“Millennium Produce”), has executed a long-term
lease (the “Lease”) for an approximately 1.1 million square foot
greenhouse cultivation facility located in O’Neill, Nebraska (the
“Property”). The Lease was entered into upon the acquisition of the
Property by Power REIT (Ticker: PW and PW.PRA). David H. Lesser,
MILC’s Chairman and CEO is also Chairman and CEO of Power REIT. As
part of the transaction, Power REIT has agreed to fund capital
improvements of approximately $534,000 for the initial phase of
improvements, which includes costs related to the replacement of
energy curtains.
As part of the transaction, Millennium Produce
arranged a $3 million non-recourse loan with a fixed interest rate
of 1.5% and a four-year term. The loan is secured by Furniture,
Fixtures, and Equipment, which was purchased by Millennium Produce,
as well as crops.
David Lesser, Chairman and CEO
commented, “We are very excited to introduce Millennium
Produce as a new area of focus. The production of food crops in
greenhouses is gaining traction in the United States and we now can
establish large-scale operations with this greenhouse facility in
O’Neill Nebraska. We believe this Property was acquired at an
attractive basis which should allow Millennium Produce to compete
favorably. We have already put in place a head grower and are
working to round out the team to quickly commence cultivation.
Millennium Produce is focused on a “lean and mean” approach
committed to efficient and sustainable operations while delivering
a consistent high-quality product to consumers. I believe this
property is “ready to grow” and we will use the remainder of the
2022 growing season to establish our operating procedures and
target profitability in 2023 when we will have a full growing
season during which we plan to grow in excess of 11 million pounds
of tomatoes.”
Property DetailsThe greenhouse
has a total of approximately one million square feet under glass
and sits on approximately 88 acres. It includes a hanging gutter
growing system serviced by a fully automated irrigation system and
a central boiler for hydronic heating. The Property has expansion
potential with approximately 20 acres of land available for
approximately 875,000 square feet of additional greenhouse and
related space. The Property includes logistics space equipped for
processing, packaging, warehousing, and shipping activities. The
Property’s exterior features a stormwater management pond a
1-million-gallon hot water storage tank, and CO2 storage tanks.
Additionally, the Ogallala Aquifer, a shallow water table beneath
the great plains of Nebraska, represents a significant resource to
supply the region with fresh water. The Property is fully serviced
with natural gas, water and electrical connections. There is a
6.25MVA electrical substation located on-site which provides ample
power for existing operations with excess capacity of approximately
5-6MVA and potential to expand up to 18.75MVA. In addition, the
leased Property includes a separate employee housing property with
21 rooms that can handle up to 80 employees.
Greenhouse Cultivation and
Tomatoes There is a growing trend towards Controlled
Environment Agriculture (“CEA”) cultivation of certain crops.
Climate change is accelerating the depletion of water and
agricultural land resources and adapting to these intensifying
trends is critical to achieve food security. Simultaneously, the
demand for locally grown, fresh produce is increasing. Many
traditional agricultural areas of the U.S. are experiencing drought
and CEA’s lower water demand combined with increased potential
yields represent an important part of the solution. Greenhouse
technology is an economically and environmentally sustainable
solution for these secular issues.
Tomatoes are traditionally a warm-season crop
and in more temperate climates tomato producers rely on CEA
facilities to extend the production season. Tomato producers across
the U.S. are establishing and expanding greenhouse operations to
increase domestic production and provide consumers with a
consistent source of fresh, locally grown produce. Relative to
outdoor (field) production of tomatoes, greenhouse production is
more predictable and consistent, yielding a crop that is more
uniform in appearance and quality. CEA allows for an average of 20x
higher yield compared to outdoor cultivation, using 90% less water
with no fertilizer runoff. The fresh tomato industry is
capitalizing on the significant advantages and sustainability of
greenhouse cultivation whereby approximately 60% of fresh retail
tomatoes consumed in North America are now grown in greenhouse
facilities.
Millennium Produce of
Nebraska Millennium Produce will step into a proven
greenhouse facility that successfully cultivated tomatoes for 15
years. The property is ready to immediately commence operations
whereas current supply chains in the greenhouse construction
industry would require a significant amount of time to replicate
this facility. The “plug-and-play” nature of the Property allows
Millennium Produce to efficiently leverage the benefits of
greenhouse technology to become a competitive, high-quality,
low-cost producer of fresh tomatoes for an underserved region of
the United States.
Millennium Produce will be one of the largest
operators in the Midwest and aims to distribute fresh tomatoes that
have typically traveled 1,400 miles before hitting supermarket
shelves in the area. Not only does this reduce the overall carbon
footprint but it provides fresher, better-tasting tomatoes while
reducing food-waste by having a longer shelf life.
Millennium Produce has entered into a
non-exclusive produce marketing agreement with Lipman Family Farms
(“Lipman”), a strong, vertically integrated organization focused on
fresh tomato and vegetable growing and distribution. This agreement
allows Millennium Produce to tap into a deep distribution network
while it concentrates on optimizing the greenhouse operations. As
Lipman Family Farms supplies fresh produce nationwide and has the
distribution network for greenhouse-grown produce, this
relationship will encourage growth and reliable access to customers
of the Midwest region.
Commenting on the transaction, Darren
Micelle, President of Value Added Operations of Lipman Family
Farms, stated, “We are very excited to see this facility
up and running again with Millennium Produce. We are confident in
their team development with experienced key personnel and are
looking forward to supporting them through marketing and
distribution across the Midwest.”
About Millennium Sustainable Ventures
Corp. Millennium Sustainable Ventures Corp. (ticker:
MILC), with a focus on the “Triple Bottom Line” and a commitment to
Profit, Planet and People currently has three areas of focus:
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Sustainable cultivation of cannabis in greenhouses |
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Sustainable cultivation of food crops in greenhouses |
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Sustainable production of activated carbon |
Additional information about MILC can be found
on its website: www.millsustain.com
About Lipman Family
Farms For over 80 years, Lipman has delivered fresh,
reliable produce year-round through their control of every aspect
of the farm-to-table journey. With a rich history of experience in
growing, repacking, fresh-cuts, and food safety, they have the
connections and resources to provide fresh product 365 days a
year.
Additional information about Lipman Family Farms
can be found on its website: www.lipmanfamilyfarms.com
About Power REIT Power
REIT (ticker: PW and PW.PRA), with a focus on the “Triple Bottom
Line” and a commitment to Profit, Planet and People is a
specialized real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns
sustainable real estate related to infrastructure assets including
properties for Controlled Environment Agriculture, Renewable Energy
and Transportation. Power REIT is actively seeking to expand its
real estate portfolio related to Controlled Environment Agriculture
for the cultivation of food and cannabis.
Additional information about Power REIT can be
found on its website: www.pwreit.com
Cautionary Statement About
Forward-Looking Statements This document includes
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S.
securities laws. Forward-looking statements are those that predict
or describe future events or trends and that do not relate solely
to historical matters. You can generally identify forward-looking
statements as statements containing the words “believe,” “expect,”
“will,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “project,” “plan,”
“assume”, “seek” or other similar expressions, or negatives of
those expressions, although not all forward-looking statements
contain these identifying words. All statements contained in this
document regarding our future strategy, future operations, future
prospects, the future of our industries and results that might be
obtained by pursuing management’s current or future plans and
objectives are forward-looking statements. You should not place
undue reliance on any forward-looking statements because the
matters they describe are subject to known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other unpredictable factors, many of which are
beyond our control. Our forward-looking statements are based on the
information currently available to us and speak only as of the date
of the filing of this document. Over time, our actual results,
performance, financial condition or achievements may differ from
the anticipated results, performance, financial condition or
achievements that are expressed or implied by our forward-looking
statements, and such differences may be significant and materially
adverse to our security holders.
Contact: David H. Lesser,
Chairman & CEOdlesser@millsustain.com212-750-0371
301 Winding Road Old Bethpage, NY 11804millsustain.com
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