Bonnie Unveils New Alabama Greenhouse

Chris Beytes

Bonnie Plants, the largest grower of vegetable and herb plants for home gardens in the U.S., has just unveiled a $15 million expansion and upgrade of its greenhouse and distribution facilities in Union Springs.

President and CEO Mike Sutterer said via email, “This facility is the largest capital expansion project in Bonnie’s 104-year history—and likely the most important to our current and future success.”

According to Mike, the new facility was designed specifically for Bonnie’s e-commerce business (which has grown 860% since 2019).

“The lines are increasingly blurring between in-store and online retail. Consumers expect and even demand a seamless shopping experience, whether in-store or online. We’re leaning in heavily here and investing for growth.  

“We’ve created a facility that allows us to produce, grow and ship any plant anywhere at any time of year, whether it’s vegetables, flowers, succulents or houseplants. In addition, we’ve created a state-of-the-art Amazon-style warehouse that’s extremely efficient for pick, pack and shipping plants so we can process large volumes of orders quickly. And with our innovative e-commerce shipping materials, our plants arrive fresh and in perfect condition just as if you’d come to the farm and picked it up yourself.”

The expanded facilities include 7 acres of open-roof, natural-ventilation greenhouses, plus 4 acres of outdoor growing area. They'll be served by a 7,800 sq. ft. production complex and a 46,000 sq. ft. distribution warehouse.

It was August of 2020 when Bonnie had broken ground on their new 17,000 sq. ft. HQ in Opelika, Alabama. Back then, Mike said they’d be expanding in Union Springs, too, specifically for new categories like flowers, plus their expanding e-commerce business.

Bonnie currently operates 80 facilities in 43 states. GT