Jack Daley, center, explains the warehouse's workings during an April 2025 tour of North Country Growers in Berlin. Daley is a project manager and engineering analyst for American Ag Energy, based in Cambridge, Mass. (LISA D. CONNELL/FILE PHOTO)
Operations at the site ceased near the end of March, leaving employees without jobs, several local food-related businesses without fresh greens and questions about what happened.
A vision of Richard Rosen, PhD, the CEO of American Ag Energy of Cambridge, Mass., the greenhouse was to provide good-paying work to local employees and a desirable, year-round product.
Yet its funding was lost, and Portsmouth-based Service Credit Union said it could no longer extend financial credit, including money needed to cover North Country Growers payroll.
As noted in an ad on the website paulmcinnis.com: “The North Country Growers commercial hydroponic greenhouse at 183 East Milan Road will be sold at a public foreclosure auction on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 11 a.m.
“The 8-acre greenhouse is configured for lettuce and greens plus a 2-acre work hall for germination, transplanting, harvest and shipping. Expansion land on a 168-acre site is planned for an additional tomato greenhouse.
“Auction will be offered on site by Paul Mcinnis — potential bidders should request a property information package for complete terms, conditions of sale, and due diligence materials. To schedule an inspection, contact Paul Mcinnis at paul@paulmcinnis.com or (603) 964-1307.
The auction notice says North Country Growers completed construction in 2023 of the 8-acre hydroponic greenhouse for growing lettuce, and an adjacent 2-acre work hall, with plans to add another similar-sized tomato greenhouse. According to the notice, the facility includes an irrigation system with ponds for collected rainfall and a water treatment system, screening and electrical systems, and a cogeneration boiler system for combined heat, power and CO2 dousing.
The site is located along the Androscoggin River.
“This is an opportunity to acquire a production facility with expansion capabilities," states the notice. "A deposit of $100,000 in the form of a cashier's certified check or bank treasurer's check (is required) in order to bid.”
The city had worked out a payment in lieu of taxes or PILOT plan with North Country Growers LLC via Marguerite Piret, chief financial officer. The plan extended over a 20-year period.
From the agreement signed with the city manager and Piret on Dec. 17, 2023: Payments rise to $100,000 on July 1, 2025, with “payment based on two 10-acre greenhouses, regardless of completion; and payment increase to $875,000/year shall occur when the second 20-acre greenhouse is constructed or by Tax Year 2035, whichever is sooner.”
The payments for tax years 2035-43 jump to $437,500 and are based on up to 40 acres of greenhouses.
Piret was scheduled in mid-August to meet with Berlin Mayor Robert Cone and District 1 Executive Councilor Joe Kenney.
Cone and Kenney’smeeting was with other business leaders that day, including Pete Silva from USDA, Benoit Lamontagne from the state BEA and Evan Jalbert from DCI.Piret could not attend due to illness, Cone and Kenney said in separate follow-up emails to see what had been discussed about the greenhouses.
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