With a history spanning over 75 years, Griffin Greenhouse Supplies is a steady presence in the North American greenhouse industry. As the development of controlled environment agriculture has increased, the company has expanded its range from mainly ornamental hort to include food and cannabis growers over the past decade. "We have a strong connection in helping growers, and it was a natural process to help these markets too."
Gregg Urban at Indoor Ag-Con 2025.
What started as a one-man operation in 1947—with Charles Griffin bringing greenhouse supplies to growers' doors, has grown into one of the U.S.'s largest horticultural distributors. Griffin Greenhouse Supplies has developed a network of support for CEA growers across the United States. The company's strategy has been shaped by both the expansion of food production and the legalization of cannabis. "Around a decade ago, we saw the emergence of food and cannabis in key markets and recognized the opportunity to support these growers," says CEA Sales Manager Gregg Urban. "As we have the knowledge of growing and operating, we realized we had the expertise and the products to assist all types of growers. While those crops might be unique, you're still doing it in the same controlled environment space. We understand how to grow a crop in a controlled environment and can apply that knowledge to different segments."
Right: Joe Farinacci
The company's GGS-Pro team plays an important role in this approach. Dedicated solely to helping growers optimize their operations, the team provides expert advice on a variety of issues, including crop-specific challenges, product efficacy, and system evaluation. "Our GGS-Pro team is distinct in that they are not salespeople—they are there to help growers address challenges and ensure the products we offer are effective," Joe Farinacci, who recently joined the company a CEA Division Leader, explains. This service is a key differentiator, with Griffin assessing products before they reach the market and utilizing those products to create plans for grower success.
© Griffin Greenhouse Supplies Inc.
With its headquarters in Tewksbury, MA., Griffin has a national foothold thanks to its15 warehouse locations. The company has also set up specialized divisions focusing, for example, on construction, irrigation, customer support, and product specialists.
The food market continues to develop, the team observes, with multi-state operators expanding. "We see producers rapidly developing in some of the larger population areas. Food, leafy greens, and vegetables continue to grow, and we see that as an opportunity. as well. It's not the rapid expansion that cannabis experienced, but we believe the market will continue to grow at a steady pace."
© Griffin Greenhouse Supplies Inc.
"There's always the need to understand the market and to plan accordingly", Gregg adds. "As a single-source supplier with multiple divisions, I'd like to think we're in a strong place to help guide customers through the early, mid, and late stages of expansion. That's what we do." He adds: "We emphasize that here at Griffin, we help growers ranging from large-scale 100-acre greenhouses to small 30x100 food hoophouses. All those growers are important to us. We work to treat them all equally and help them grow. Scale may be important in CEA food, but there are plenty of smaller growers out there producing food for local restaurants and farmer's markets, and they are important to us as well."
Regardless of the market, crop, or scale, increasing efficiency is key for all growers. "Increasing their overall yield while reducing costs," Joe confirms. "Driven by increasing costs, the market is demanding that CEA growers become more efficient." And although it's not the easiest time in the industry, it's a development Griffin has seen before. Thirty to forty years ago, the traditional ornamental horticultural industry went through a similar process. "The big-box stores like Home Depot and Walmart came into the space and pressured prices. We've helped growers to grow more efficiently and effectively to in order to help them meet those price points. We're bringing that experience into the new CEA markets as well."
As an example, Joe refers to increasing labor prices and offering automation as a solution. "There are technologies that have been proven in traditional ornamental hort, and they can be expanded into CEA crops. A couple of years ago at Cultivate, cannabis growers looked for equipment to fill pots or conveyors. These technologies exist and have been proven to work. We can take them and apply them to other CEA crops." Another example, Gregg adds, is the Dosatron injector. "A simple and cost-effective tool that can make a grower more efficient and save on costs."
© Griffin Greenhouse Supplies Inc.
A topic of great importance to all growers currently is Integrated Pest Management, which is seeing increased adoption. "We believe it's a great opportunity for our clients", says Gregg. Again, the GGS-Pro technical team is highly involved, designing IPM programs for Griffin customers. "It's setting up the program, implementing it, and integrating additional products that don't limit the efficacy of others they're using," Gregg explains. "It's an important addition to the market, and we look forward to continuing these programs."
Making these connections is a clear example of how Griffin expands its knowledge across different CEA markets. Central to its approach is being a family-owned company now entering its third generation. With Joe recently joining the company, he already sees how this enables them to connect more closely with their customers. "From a business perspective, it also gives us the opportunity to be nimbler in the marketplace. We have a short chain of command, and the decision-making process is quick. Being privately owned means, we can talk to ownership any time we need to. Whenever there's an issue or a challenge, we have a direct line. We can act proactively and do unique things to help our clients be more profitable." He explains how the day-to-day business is strongly connected. "The ownership is involved in what's going on. It's moving into its third generation, and the family ties have now been extended to the employees. Regardless of role, everybody is part of it and treated the same—just a knock on the door or a short call away."
For more information:
Griffin
www.griffins.com