JetBlue Airways, in partnership with Terra Real Vegetable Chips, has unveiled a blue potato farm and produce garden in the pre-security area of Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International (JFK).
The 24,000-square-foot farm includes 3,000 crates of potato plants, herbs and other produce; it is the first blue potato farm at an airport anywhere in the world. The space is expected to yield more than 1,000 pounds of blue potatoes every harvest, in addition to housing 2,000 herbs and plants, such as arugula, beets, mint and basil. The blue potatoes grown at JFK are the same type as those used by Terra to make Terra Blues, which have been JetBlue’s official snack since the airline’s conception.
“An airport seems like an unexpected place for a farming experiment, but what better way to explore JetBlue’s role in the food cycle than to harvest right in our own backyard at JFK?” says Sophia Mendelsohn, head of sustainability at JetBlue. “Our customers expect T5 to offer them unique experiences. We know from our T5 Rooftop that people are drawn to light and green spaces, and they also have an inherent interest in understanding where their food comes from.”
In addition to adding green space, the garden is meant to be an agricultural and educational resource for the community. Herbs and produce grown there will be used in restaurants within the terminal, with a goal of the blue potatoes eventually being used to create the Terra Blues travelers are used to having onboard JetBlue flights. Some items from the garden also will be donated to food pantries in the area.
“Throughout aviation history, JFK Airport has been home to many firsts in environmental sustainability,” says Michael Moran, general manager of JFK. “We applaud JetBlue’s commitment to protecting the environment and for their green space initiative, marking another first for our airport.”
JetBlue created the farm with the help of GrowNYC, a non-profit organization that supports local agriculture and farmers’ markets. The organization has been one of JetBlue’s partners since 2012.
“JetBlue is New York’s hometown airline, and what better way to showcase their New York pride than with a farm?” says Marcel Van Ooyen, executive director of of GrowNYC Partners. “Northeast farmers produce some of the freshest, healthiest, tastiest food in the world, which is already available inside T5, and now outside, at the farm. It’s an opportunity for us to educate all the travelers about where food comes from in an exciting, non-traditional setting.
