Hippo Harvest
Greenhouse-quality organic greens at outdoor prices.
Photo credit: Hippo Harvest
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- Founder
- Eitan Marder-Eppstein, Wim Meeussen
Hippo Harvest is a controlled-environment agriculture company growing USDA-certified organic leafy greens in robotics- and machine-learning-powered greenhouses in Pescadero, California. Founded in 2019 by robotics engineers Eitan Marder-Eppstein and Wim Meeussen, both veterans of Willow Garage and contributors to the Robot Operating System (ROS), the company eschews energy-intensive vertical towers in favor of sunlit greenhouses tended by autonomous mobile robots that function as indoor tractors.
Rather than reinventing warehouse automation from scratch, Hippo Harvest repurposes off-the-shelf autonomous mobile robots to deliver precise water and nutrients directly to plant roots, while machine learning optimizes growing conditions on a micro-climate basis. Its packaged salad line, including baby spinach, spring mix, arugula, butter lettuce, and power greens, is sold at West Coast retailers such as Amazon Fresh, Sprouts, and Gus's Community Markets, with a hybrid model pairing greenhouse and organic field-grown greens for year-round supply reliability.
Key benefits
Robotic Greenhouse Farming
Uses autonomous mobile robots as indoor tractors to water, monitor, and harvest crops in sunlit greenhouses.
92% Less Water
Closed-loop, direct-to-root irrigation and machine learning cut water and fertilizer use versus conventional produce.
Organic at Field Prices
Delivers USDA-certified organic greens at prices competitive with outdoor-grown alternatives.
Climate-Resilient Supply
Greenhouse production near consumers provides year-round consistency when field crops fail from drought or floods.
Hybrid Product Assortment
Combines greenhouse and field-grown organic greens to offer retailers broader variety and supply surety.
Hippo Harvest operates as a grower, packer, and shipper of USDA-certified organic packaged salads, selling through retail partners across Northern California, the Pacific Northwest, and expanding West Coast markets. By locating greenhouses near consumers and combining controlled-environment production with selective field-grown sourcing, the company offers grocers broader assortment, longer shelf life, and more consistent supply than field-only suppliers, especially as drought and climate volatility disrupt traditional California agriculture.
Uses 92% less water, 55% less fertilizer, and 94% less land compared to traditional field agriculture; has saved over 13 million gallons of water to date. Closed a $30 million Series C in 2025 led by Cox Farms to expand to a 30-acre Hollister, California facility and commercialize indoor-grown spinach at scale.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Hippo Harvest do?
- Hippo Harvest is a controlled-environment agriculture company growing USDA-certified organic leafy greens in robotics- and machine-learning-powered greenhouses in Pescadero, California. Founded in 2019 by robotics engineers Eitan Marder-Eppstein and Wim Meeussen, both veterans of Willow Garage and contributors to the Robot Operating System (ROS), the company eschews energy-intensive vertical to…
- Where is Hippo Harvest based?
- Hippo Harvest is based in California, United States.
- What sector does Hippo Harvest operate in?
- Hippo Harvest operates in the AI & Technology sector.
- Who founded Hippo Harvest?
- Eitan Marder-Eppstein, Wim Meeussen
At a glance
Locations
Certifications
- Founded
- 2019
