High Ridge Hydro in Connecticut Scales Sustainable Growth with AmplifiedAg Technology

In Connecticut’s most populated city, High Ridge Hydroponics has redefined what it means to eat locally. Over the last six years, this urban hydroponic container farm has become a trusted source of fresh greens for the Fairfield County community—supplying more than 50 restaurants, local farmers’ markets, and a growing network of distributors, schools, and small businesses in the greater Bridgeport area.

Founded in 2019 by Joe Alvarez, High Ridge Hydro specializes in over 20 varieties of microgreens and lettuces, including Bibb, Little Gem, Romaine, and a vibrant lettuce mix that has become a local favorite. With the farm’s “grow to order” model, every head of lettuce and box of microgreens is grown without pesticides/herbicides, harvested to order, and delivered within 24 hours—ensuring the kind of crispness and extended shelf life (10-14 days) that supermarket produce can’t match. 

“Our customers love that our produce isn’t traveling thousands of miles from California,” Alvarez said. “We tell them, you’re the second person to put hands on this product. That level of freshness and quality is what keeps them coming back. And what’s better than getting farm fresh veggies all year round?”

High Ridge Hydro’s hyper-local model extends beyond restaurants and farmers’ markets. The farm partners with Sardilli Produce & Dairy, a family-owned Connecticut distributor, to bring its greens into more restaurants, schools, and community spaces. 

For Alvarez, the mission is clear: grow better food, closer to home, and educate the community about the future of farming and who grows your food.

Roots in Innovation

When Alvarez first launched his farm in 2019 in Ridgefield, Connecticut, it started as a single shipping container farm outfitted with his custom built hydroponic system. But as demand grew, so did the need for reliability, data, and scale.

“Looking back at the first generation of the farm, I hadn’t insulated it enough, and the HVAC system was undersized and unable to keep up in extreme temperatures,” Alvarez recalled. “When I decided to relocate and build the second generation, I knew I needed to upgrade everything—and that’s when I discovered AmplifiedAg.”

In 2020, Alvarez partnered with AmplifiedAg, a leader in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) technology and scalable container farm operations. Instead of purchasing a fully turnkey unit, Alvarez chose to build his own customized farm, using AmplifiedAg’s commercial-grade components—including the HVAC, irrigation, and PLC control systems. The AmplifiedAg team worked alongside him to ensure seamless integration and optimization of the custom farm. 

“The technology has made me a better grower,” Alvarez said. “With AmplifiedAg’s software, I can see environmental trends over time that I’d never been able to track before.”

That insight has transformed the way Alvarez operates the farms. AmplifiedAg’s proprietary software gives Alvarez real-time transparency into the temperature, humidity, lighting, and irrigation of each farm, allowing him to fine-tune growing conditions and maintain consistent, high-quality yields.

“Before working with AmplifiedAg, I felt like I was married to the farm—I had to be here every day to monitor it,” Alvarez said. “Now, I can manage operations remotely and trust that AmplifiedAg technology is always watching.”

That reliability proved invaluable during an unexpected crisis when a nearby car accident cut power and water to the farm. Thanks to AmplifiedAg’s real-time monitoring alerts, Alvarez was notified instantly and able to act quickly to save his crops. “As an urban farm, we’re susceptible to unexpected urban events, from power outages to water main breaks.,” Alvarez said. “Without that technology, we could have lost all of our plants.”

Scaling Up and Giving Back

Following the award of the 2024 Connecticut Grown for Connecticut Kids Shipping Container Grant from the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, Alvarez expanded his operation in 2025—adding two more AmplifiedAg farms, one dedicated to microgreens and another to lettuce. Now with three container farms, the combined operation can now produce over 16,000 pounds of lettuce and thousands of pounds of microgreens annually, with room to grow.

Looking ahead to 2026, Alvarez plans to expand High Ridge Hydro’s educational partnerships with local schools by offering field trips to the facility and working with food service providers to integrate Connecticut grown produce into local school meals.

“Hydroponics opens the door for the STEM curriculum in our local school systems, while sharing the benefits of modern agriculture that many students, parents and teachers may have not heard about,” said Alvarez. 

“It’s an opportunity to teach the students and members of the community alike about the importance of these new and emerging modern agriculture practices, and how they benefit our health, economy, and future farmers. We believe that students are far more likely to eat vegetables at school if they taste good and know where they come from.”

As High Ridge Hydro continues to lead the way in making sustainable, local food a year-round reality for the local community, the organization is seeking new partnerships with schools and community institutions. Those interested in purchasing locally grown produce or developing educational programs centered on sustainable agriculture are encouraged to email Joe Alvarez. 

Learn more at highridgehydroponics.com and contact founder Joe Alvarez highridgehydroponics@gmail.com.

“AmplifiedAg technology has made me a better grower." - Joe Alvarez, High Ridge Hydroponics