Regina Food Bank Opens Growcer Modular Farm for Winter Greens

Saskatchewan winters are hard on salad. VerticalFarmDaily (publication date October 12, 2026; local outlets such as 620 CKRM covered the opening around October 9) reports that Regina Food Bank has opened the city’s first modular indoor farm — a 40-foot Growcer hydroponic unit that grows leafy greens year-round.

What was installed

• Canadian-made Growcer modular farm; footprint roughly two parking spots; uses less water than outdoor agriculture
• Crops include spinach, romaine lettuce and bok choy regardless of weather
• Farm Credit Canada contributed $250,000 toward acquiring the system
• Target yield: about 800 heads of lettuce per week for the Community Food Hub, food hampers and school food programs
• Vision to add three more farms to better serve roughly 17,000 clients per month

Why it matters

Regina Food Bank CEO Mary Weimer said most donated food is non-perishable and only a portion of fresh produce can be rescued — growing greens locally fills the winter gap. FCC CEO Justine Hendricks framed the project as community-led food security; Growcer CEO Corey Ellis noted food banks are also large food purchasers that can turn procurement into local production.

Context: Regina Food Bank recorded 237,707 visits in 2025-2026 (nearly 5% up year over year), and food-bank visits across Canada nearly doubled since 2019 to about 2.2 million in March 2025 — figures VerticalFarmDaily cites from the food bank’s annual report and national stats.

Rocks take

Container CEA is not only a VC story — this is modular hydroponics as social infrastructure. Watch whether the three-unit Farmplex vision actually gets funded.