Superior Fresh Produce & More!
Supplier to PFC since 2019
Location: Hixton, Wisconsin
60 miles from PFC—La Crosse
100 miles from PFC—Rochester
Superior Fresh has been in operation since 2017. Farmers Todd and Karen Wanek partnered with hydroponics expert Brandon Gottsacker to pursue a sustainable, organic produce greenhouse in tandem with an organic aquaculture salmon farm.
Superior Fresh is a hydroponic farm with a salmon farm right next to the greenhouse. Using a closed loop filtration system, the wastewater from the salmon operation is cleaned of impurities and repurposed as nutrient-rich water for the produce greenhouse. As farm president, Brandon, notes: “We focused on creating value from what otherwise is considered a waste stream in the world of aquaculture. Utilizing the water from the fish gives us the ability to grow high-quality, certified organic vegetables. We’re using 1/30 the amount of water in comparison to soil farming, and growing the healthiest, best tasting products.”
The farm has six acres of produce in their two greenhouses and intend to add another seven acres in the near future. They are the largest organic greenhouse in the country. Superior Fresh is a four season farm—not an easy feat in Wisconsin.
Brandon is proud of the farm’s consistency: “We’re harvesting organic product from our greenhouses daily, and we do that year-round. If we’re harvesting out of our facility every day, it should be getting to the consumer every day. We want to make sure that the consumer gets the best quality product possible and gets the benefit from a maximum shelf life. That’s a huge bonus to being local.” Besides being certified organic, the operation uses no GMOs and they are Safe Quality Food (SQF) certified.
Both People’s Food Co-op stores carry Superior Fresh produce. The farm uses recycled water bottles to make the clamshell packaging for the salad mixes that we carry at PFC. The farm supplies us with a number of different salads for you to try, including “Citrus Splash,” “Midwest Medley,” “Spring Mix,” and many others.