Edible Garden Appoints Tetra Pak Veteran Ernesto Insignares as Senior Project Manager to Support Prairie Hills RTD Facility
Rhea-AI Summary
Edible Garden (Nasdaq: EDBL) appointed Tetra Pak veteran Ernesto Insignares, MBA, as Senior Project Manager to help lead development and execution of the Prairie Hills ready-to-drink clean nutrition facility in Webster City, Iowa. According to the company, Insignares brings extensive capital project and beverage manufacturing experience.
Edible Garden is transforming the approximately 400,000-square-foot Prairie Hills site into a high-capacity hub using advanced Tetra Pak processing and packaging. At full capacity, it is expected to manufacture over 100 million beverage units annually for branded, private-label and strategic partner products, supporting the Farm-to-Formula strategy.
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News Explained
Prairie Hills remains pre-production, with planning advancing toward construction and prototype testing completed under commercial processing conditions.
The Senior Project Manager appointment adds project-execution oversight, but Prairie Hills remains in development rather than commercial production.
Management says work is moving from planning and design toward construction, equipment installation and commissioning; commercial production is a later project stage.
The company also reports completing clean-label ready-to-drink prototype production at Tetra Pak’s New Product Development Center under commercial processing conditions, generating data for product optimization, customer sampling and manufacturing readiness.
Key Figures
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 24 | Strategic partnership | Positive | -3.4% | Square Roots partnership targeted functional ready-to-drink beverage development |
| Aug 18 | Leadership change | Positive | +1.0% | Company appointed Jon Gutoski as Chief Financial Officer |
| Aug 14 | Earnings report | Positive | -1.2% | Second-quarter revenue increased 12.8% year over year |
| Aug 13 | Contract award | Positive | -2.9% | Company won a Target Midwest fresh-cut herb supply program |
| Aug 07 | Earnings scheduling | Neutral | -4.1% | Company scheduled its second-quarter results and business update call |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Recent positive or neutral company announcements generally diverged from their subsequent price reactions.
Key Terms
controlled environment agriculture technical
ready-to-drink technical
commissioning technical
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
Experienced Capital Project Professional Brings Expertise in Beverage Manufacturing, Project Governance and Stakeholder Management as Company Advances Prairie Hills Toward Commercial Production
BELVIDERE, NJ, Aug. 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edible Garden AG Incorporated (“Edible Garden” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: EDBL, EDBLW), a leader in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), organic and sustainable produce, and developer of the Zero-Waste Inspired® mission and Farm-to-Formula® platform, today announced the appointment of Ernesto Insignares, MBA, as Senior Project Manager. In this role, Mr. Insignares will help lead the development and execution of the Company’s Prairie Hills ready-to-drink (“RTD”) clean nutrition manufacturing facility in Webster City, Iowa.
Mr. Insignares joins Edible Garden from Tetra Pak, bringing extensive experience in capital expenditure management, project planning and execution, budgeting, project governance, and stakeholder coordination. His experience supporting complex manufacturing and processing initiatives is expected to play an important role as Prairie Hills advances toward commissioning and commercial production.
Edible Garden is transforming the approximately 400,000-square-foot Prairie Hills facility into a high-capacity manufacturing hub for shelf-stable nutritional beverages utilizing advanced Tetra Pak processing and packaging technologies. At full capacity, the facility is expected to have the ability to manufacture more than 100 million beverage units annually for the Company’s branded products as well as private-label customers and strategic partners.
“We are pleased to welcome Ernesto to Edible Garden at an important stage in the development of Prairie Hills,” said Jim Kras, Chief Executive Officer of Edible Garden. “As we move from planning and design toward construction, equipment installation and commissioning, disciplined project execution becomes increasingly important. Ernesto’s experience within Tetra Pak and his background managing complex capital projects strengthen the team we have assembled and add valuable expertise as we work to bring Prairie Hills online. This is another important step in executing our Farm-to-Formula® strategy and expanding Edible Garden into higher-margin, shelf-stable nutrition categories.”
“I am excited to join Edible Garden at such an important stage in the development of Prairie Hills,” said Mr. Insignares. “Bringing a facility of this scale from development through commissioning and commercial production requires disciplined execution, close coordination across multiple stakeholders, and a clear focus on operational readiness. I look forward to applying my experience to help the Edible Garden team successfully execute the project and build Prairie Hills into a scalable, high-quality beverage manufacturing platform.”
The appointment follows several recent milestones in the development of Prairie Hills. Edible Garden has engaged Structura Architects to support facility planning, engineering and design and E2 Building Group to support construction execution. The Company also successfully completed clean-label RTD prototype production at Tetra Pak’s New Product Development Center, validating its formulations under commercial processing conditions and generating data to support product optimization, customer sampling and manufacturing readiness.
Prairie Hills is a key component of Edible Garden’s Farm-to-Formula® strategy, which is designed to leverage the Company’s existing retail relationships, distribution network, food-safety expertise and commercialization capabilities to expand into shelf-stable nutrition products and create additional opportunities across branded, private-label and strategic partnerships.
ABOUT EDIBLE GARDEN®
Edible Garden AG Incorporated is a leader in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), delivering organic, better-for-you, sustainable produce and products through its Zero-Waste Inspired® next-generation farming model. Available in over 6,000 retail locations across the United States, Caribbean, and South America, Edible Garden is at the forefront of the CEA and sustainability technology movement, distinguished by its advanced safety-in-farming protocols, sustainable packaging, patented GreenThumb software, and innovative Self-Watering in-store displays. The Company operates state-of-the-art, vertically integrated greenhouses and processing facilities, including Edible Garden Heartland in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Edible Garden Prairie Hills in Webster City, Iowa; and its headquarters at Edible Garden Belvidere in New Jersey. It also partners with a network of contract growers strategically located near major U.S. markets to ensure freshness and reduce environmental impact. The Company is also expanding its Prairie Hills facility in Webster City, Iowa, into a dedicated ready-to-drink (RTD) clean nutrition manufacturing hub, supporting its Farm-to-Formula® strategy and its transformation into higher-margin, shelf-stable nutrition categories.
Edible Garden’s proprietary GreenThumb 2.0 software—protected by U.S. Patents US 11,158,006 B1, US 11,410,249 B2, and US 11,830,088 B2—optimizes vertical and traditional greenhouse growing conditions while aiming to reduce food miles. Its patented Self-Watering display (U.S. Patent No. D1,010,365) is designed to extend plant shelf life and elevate in-store presentation. In addition to its core CEA operations, Edible Garden owns three patents in advanced aquaculture technologies: a closed-loop shrimp farming system (US 6,615,767 B1), a modular recirculating aquaculture setup with automated water treatment and feeding (US 10,163,199 B2), and a sensor-driven ammonia control method utilizing electrolytic chlorine generation (US 11,297,809 B1).
The Company has been recognized as a FoodTech 500 firm by Forward Fooding, is a multi-year participant in Walmart’s Project Gigaton and a Giga Guru designee and has received NRG’s Excellence in Energy Award for its commitment to measurable environmental performance and energy stewardship. Edible Garden also develops and markets a growing line of nutrition and specialty food products, including Vitamin Way® and Vitamin Whey®—plant and whey protein powders—and Kick. Sports Nutrition, a premium performance line for health-conscious athletes seeking cleaner, better-for-you options. The Company’s offerings further include fresh, sustainable condiments such as Pulp fermented gourmet and chili-based sauces, as well as Pickle Party, a collection of fermented fresh pickles and krauts.
Learn more at https://ediblegardenag.com.
For Pulp products, visit https://www.pulpflavors.com.
For Vitamin Whey® products, visit https://vitaminwhey.com.
For Kick. Sports Nutrition products, visit https://kicksportsnutrition.net/.
Watch the Company’s latest corporate video here.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Words such as “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “expand,” “advance,” “designed to,” “opportunity,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the level and durability of inbound retailer interest and the Company’s ability to convert that interest into new or expanded distribution programs, the Company’s available capacity and ability to service additional retail volume, the expected effect of the Company’s cost reduction and automation initiatives on operating margins, the continued growth of the Company’s fresh cut herb and USDA Organic product lines, the development of the Company’s ready-to-drink manufacturing facility in Webster City, Iowa, and the Company’s Farm-to-Formula® strategy. There can be no assurance that any inbound interest will result in binding agreements, incremental revenue or improved margins. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied, including those described in the “Risk Factors” section and other sections of the Company’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the Company undertakes no duty to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Investor Contacts:
Crescendo Communications, LLC
212-671-1020
EDBL@crescendo-ir.com
