After losing its biggest customer, Vegbed looks to new markets

The closure of 80 Acres Farms has marked a major turning point for Vegbed, the substrate company that spent more than three years working with one of the largest names in the US vertical farming industry. According to VerticalFarmDaily, the company is now reflecting on the partnership while actively seeking new commercial opportunities, including through a recently opened hub in the Netherlands.

Vegbed described the relationship with 80 Acres as more than a traditional business agreement. The partnership began after a meeting at New York AgTech Week, when Vegbed was introduced to the vertical farming company's research and development team.

From there, the process took nearly a year of trials and testing. According to Vegbed, 80 Acres evaluated its growing mats under demanding conditions within highly automated production systems before moving forward with the partnership.

The requirements were clear: the substrate needed to be clean, pathogen-free, sustainable, efficient and cost-effective. For Vegbed, receiving approval from a company operating at that scale represented an important validation of its product.

Over the following years, the partnership became part of Vegbed's commercial growth. Its growing mats were used in the production of microgreens that reached major retail outlets across the United States.

According to VerticalFarmDaily, 80 Acres Farms was founded in 2015 by Mike Zelkind and Tisha Livingston and grew into one of the most prominent companies in the controlled-environment agriculture sector.

The company developed indoor farms using advanced technology and, at its peak, supplied produce to more than 18,000 grocery stores across the United States. Its operations became a reference point for the commercial development of vertical farming and for companies supplying technology, equipment and agricultural inputs to the sector.

For Vegbed, working with 80 Acres also meant adapting its products to meet the demands of large-scale indoor production. The company said its experience inside one of the industry's most sophisticated operations helped it refine its growing mats and gain valuable commercial and technical knowledge.

The situation changed on August 3, 2026, when 80 Acres announced that it was winding down operations. Vegbed said it later received an email informing the company that future orders were being canceled while management sought clarity about the situation.

The closure had a direct impact on Vegbed because 80 Acres had become its largest customer. The company described the news as both a commercial and emotional setback after years of working closely with growers and operations teams.

According to the account published by VerticalFarmDaily, the shutdown also reflected the broader challenges facing the vertical farming industry, which has experienced several years of closures, restructurings and reductions in investment.

Despite those difficulties, Vegbed said the experience reinforced its confidence in the performance of its products. The company believes the quality and consistency achieved by microgreens grown with its mats at commercial scale demonstrate that the technology can continue to serve other high-volume operations.

Vegbed is now looking for new commercial partners interested in improving substrate quality, labor efficiency, cleanliness and consistency.

The company is also increasing its focus on the European market. Vegbed recently opened a hub in the Netherlands, allowing it to offer local substrate sourcing, shorter delivery times and avoid transatlantic shipping for European customers.

The end of the partnership with 80 Acres represents a difficult moment for Vegbed, but the company sees the experience as part of its next stage of growth. The focus is now on applying the lessons learned from working with a major vertical farming operation to build new partnerships in North America and Europe.