Edible Gardens AG, which describes itself as “a leader in controlled-environment agriculture,” (indoor farming), of Belvidere, New Jersey, has expressed interest in acquiring the former Kenco warehouse at 401 Des Moines St., in Webster City and rapidly converting it to a “high-capacity food and beverage production, packaging and processing operation.”

Edible Gardens is also considering sites in Grand Rapids, Michigan and St. Louis, Missouri for its new facility.

The building has been the site of several start-up businesses since it ceased being the primary warehouse and shipping center for Electrolux laundry appliances, most recently Vero Blue and Natural Shrimp aquaculture ventures.

The company claims to already have, or is expected to soon have, a contract from “a major global retailer” for 100,000,000 units of a proprietary Ready-to-Drink, dairy-based protein drink.

Today, Edible Gardens makes Kick Sports Nutrition, which is sold in Target and WalMart stores, and online by Amazon and Insta Cart.

Its other products include Pickle Party, a product described as being rich in antioxidants, and a wide variety of fresh herbs grown in the company’s enormous greenhouses in New Jersey and Michigan.

As part of its regular agenda for tonight’s City Council of Webster City meeting, the Council will vote whether or not to support Edible Garden’s application to Iowa’s Business Incentives for Growth –BIG program. The BIG program is brand new in 2026, replacing the state’s High Quality Jobs Program. Its mission is to “help offset costs for companies locating, expanding or modernizing facilities in Iowa.”

At issue is whether the Council supports using $6,500,000 in local Tax Increment Financing– TIF over a 15-year period.

Mayor John Hawkins told The Daily Freeman Journal,

“Edible Gardens has an urgent need to get started on this project. They’re working with the company that acquired the building from Natural Shrimp when they could not pay their loans. So the whole process has been a lucky thing for us to have a building available that the other sites don’t have, a connection with the owners of the building, and a city willing to accommodate them. This is an exciting new venture for Edible Foods and Webster City with a lot of room for expansion in the future. I’m excited to see how well we can work together to make Edible Foods a major employer in our region.”