New indoor farming operation to bring 118 jobs to Carroll County

U.K.-based business development firm Oasthouse Ventures, which specializes in low-carbon greenhouses, is investing $104.8 million to construct its first U.S.-based controlled environment agriculture operation in Carroll County, where it plans to produce tomatoes.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday that the project will initially create 118 jobs, with a total of 265 full-time and part-time positions for the project. His office further revealed that over the next three years, Oasthouse will produce and package over 45 million pounds of tomatoes for distribution to major retailers throughout the northeast, southeast and midwestern United States, and source more than 31,000 tons annually of Virginia-grown hardwood residuals from local sawmills to heat its greenhouses.

According to the governor’s office, the project represents Phase One of an envisioned three-phase buildout in Southwest Virginia. The first phase includes a 65-acre greenhouse at Wildwood Commerce Park focused on tomatoes, a supporting packaging house and a daycare facility to serve employees. According to Oasthouse’s website, it expects to start producing tomatoes in the new greenhouse in 2026.

“Our Carroll County facility represents a major step toward building a network of large-scale, sustainable indoor farming operations that will supply American-grown fresh produce across the eastern United States,” Oasthouse Ventures Senior Development Manager Ben Alexander said in a statement.

Oasthouse Ventures’ new indoor farm will emphasize sustainable food sourcing and offer fresh produce that will travel fewer miles to market, which the governor’s office says will extend shelf life and reduce costs for consumers. In a statement, Youngkin described the project as “a technological leap forward” and said it helps solidify Virginia as “a leader in the agriculture and technology industries.”

“Indoor farming is responsibly changing the way that we make local, sustainable produce for our communities,” Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick said. “Not only will Oasthouse Ventures create more than 100 jobs for Virginians, but it will also use local hardwood residuals as a heating source for its greenhouses.”

According to the governor’s office, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Mount Rogers Regional Partnership, Blue Ridge Crossroads Economic Development Authority and Carroll County to secure the project for Virginia. Youngkin approved a $550,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund, as well as a $250,000 grant from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund to assist the county with this project.

Oasthouse has posted a hiring website with details about available jobs, which range from growers and engineers to IT and HR roles, but notes that “most of the hiring won’t start until early 2026.”