Fox Urban Farms

This interview details Fox Urban Farms, an indoor farming company based in Virginia, USA. The interview is with John Fox, Co-owner of Fox Farms.

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What is the origin story of Fox Urban Farms?‍

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Ann and John Fox are long time business owners and entrepreneurs. From 2004 through 2020, Ann and John were owners and operators of Greenwood Grocery & Deli, a local deli and c-store in Winchester, VA.

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In late 2020, the Foxes sold Greenwood Grocery & Deli and decided to look for something that wouldn’t take up so much of their time. After researching and discussing what their new business was going to be, the Foxes settled on opening a hydroponic farm in the city of Winchester, VA. This would be a business that could fill the need for fresh and local produce in their community.

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What are some of the biggest challenges facing Fox Urban Farms in the future?‍

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High energy costs coupled with tight margins require the Foxes to be vigilant and forward thinking about how their hydroponic farms can operate profitably.

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What is unique about Fox Urban Farms compared to competitors? How do you measure the impact of your company so far? (Revenue, Employees, Customer Quantity, Production Volume) etc?

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There are no other businesses in the city of Winchester doing what Fox Urban Farms is doing. We are bringing healthy, hyper-local, and nutritious products to our local community.

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We use different metrics to measure the success of our business. Obviously, as a business for profit, we must be able to make money. We also are very interested in having a positive impact on our city and bringing fresh products to all citizens.‍

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What have you learned that you wish you knew when you joined or started the company?‍

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We learned that even the best intentions and well thought out ideas still must conform to our existing City Code.

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The process of working with the City took a lot longer than we anticipated.

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How can people connect with you or learn more about Fox Urban Farms?

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Our website is www.foxurbanfarms.com and our email is eatlocal@foxurbanfarms.com .

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We also have many other social media accounts for people to follow. Those are listed on our website.

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