Plenty Unlimited received what was, at the time, Wyoming's largest ever economic development grant to build what would have been the world's largest vertical farming research center in Laramie. But now the company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and the ambitious plans for its 60,000-square-foot Project Jupiter are on indefinite hold.
A company spokeswoman told Cowboy State Daily on Monday morning that the business does plan to keep two locations as part of its reorganization — the vertical strawberry farm it opened in Richmond, Virginia, in 2022, and the already existing Wyoming plant science research and development facility in Laramie.
That facility once served as headquarters for Bright Agrotech, founded by University of Wyoming graduate Nate Storey, a pioneer of vertical farming in the state and a co-founder of Plenty.
Project Jupiter received a $20 million grant came from the Wyoming Business Council, at the time the state's largest ever. Wyoming Business Council CEO Josh Dorrell told Cowboy State Daily that the state retains most of the grant money, despite the bankruptcy, thanks to the way it structures these types of grants.
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