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GoodLeaf Farms grows its executive leadership 

GoodLeaf, which is Canada’s first and largest commercial vertical farm, has promoted Juanita Moore to vice president, corporate development, and hired both Cheryl Verbiski as vice president commercial and Martin De Rome as vice president of operations.  

“GoodLeaf Farms is positioned to take the next step in our growth plan, and we are bolstered by the talent offered by Juanita, Cheryl and Martin,” says Barry Murchie, chief executive officer and president of GoodLeaf Farms. “As we grow across the country and expand the scope and scale of our business, we need great people to lead the way. We are building an exceptional team.” 

Part of the GoodLeaf team for the past three years, Moore has been promoted from her former role as executive director of operations. In her new role, she will lead GoodLeaf’s move into specialty plants with applications in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, personal care, fragrance, cosmetics and animal health industries.  

Juanita Moore. (Source: GoodLeaf Farms)

“GoodLeaf Farms has grown to a point where we can viably look to new and innovative ways to leverage the advantages of indoor farming,” says Moore. “As Canada’s largest commercial vertical farm, to date we have been focused on providing a local source of fresh leafy greens. But there are so many other benefits we can offer in other sectors, and I am looking forward to leading the exploration of these opportunities.”  

Verbiski is a veteran of the food industry, having worked with food manufacturers, distributors and packaging companies in Canada and the United States, overseeing sales, marketing and product development for over 30 years. With GoodLeaf, she will oversee the commercial expansion of the company as it works to grow its network of retail stores and food service outlets that serve GoodLeaf microgreens and baby greens. 

Cheryl Verbiski. (Source: Goodleaf Farms)

“I am excited to be joining the GoodLeaf team to build on the incredible work that has already been completed and continue to develop a differentiated solution that builds customer advocates throughout our current and future growing regions,” says Verbiski. “We are offering Canadian consumers an alternative to imported foods, and want to make sure GoodLeaf leafy greens are readily available in markets, stores and restaurants from coast to coast to coast.” 

A mechanical engineer who spent 25 years with Procter and Gamble, De Rome brings broad experience to the GoodLeaf team, including human resources, operations, research and development, engineering and supply chain. With GoodLeaf, he is guiding and directing the operations of the current Guelph fam, in addition to the company’s expansion into Eastern and Western Canada, ensuring the new farms in Alberta and Quebec open and begin operating smoothly later this year. 

Martin De Rome. (Source: GoodLeaf Farms)

“GoodLeaf is a critical point in its growth into a truly national company,” says De Rome. “There is a strong foundation set, and I am looking forward to helping bring a local source of fresh, nutritious leafy greens to people across Canada.”  

GoodLeaf’s indoor vertical farms use innovative technology to grow microgreens and baby greens in Canada year-round, no matter the season, climate or weather. The plants are grown in a complex hydroponics system with traditional ebb-and-flood watering to feed nutrient-rich water to the plants, and specialized LED lights that are engineered to emulate the light spectrum to mimic the spring sun — ideal conditions for plants to maximize photosynthesis.