Ten startups were selected as winners of Buffalo Business First’s second annual Inno Fire Awards. Their stories show the passion and diversity of the local startup scene. Learn more about Ellicottville Greens below; see the other winners here.
Ellicottville Greens
CEO: Gabe Bialkowski
Founded: 2019
Headquarters: 4675 Transit Road, Buffalo
What the company does: A modular, organic farming startup
Ellicottville Greens is adding at least two more locations this year – both through partnerships.
The startup, founded in 2019, owns and operates modular, organic container farms and also designs, builds and operates the farms in partnership with others. The latter business model is where CEO Gabe Bialkowski sees opportunities to scale.
“It allows us to find and identify people who want to launch farms in their community,” he said. “We have our expertise to partner with them. It’s a quicker way to go to market.”
The partnership method also prevents the startup from having to self-fund every location.
Ellicottville Greens, which employs 10, expects to launch its East Side site, next to the Broadway Market, in July. The location, in partnership with Jack Greco and Mark Herskind, will have 20 container farms on site.
The startup is also partnering with an unnamed individual to launch this summer an Olean site with 10 container farms.
With those two additions, it will bring the business’ number of locations up to four. The company already has sites at its headquarters on Transit Road and one in Indianapolis, in partnership with a salad bar chain based in Kentucky.
