MONA, Utah -- On the west side of Mona, Utah, there are two surprisingly large industries.
One is the Current Creek Power Plant owned by Rocky Mountain Power and the other is a 28-acre greenhouse that utilizes waste CO2 from the power plant's stack to provide CO2 fertilization to tomato crops.
Houweling's Tomatoes is based in Canada, but runs the greenhouse operation. Inside, massive tomato plants are grown with a hydroponic system, getting nutrients from water rather than soil.
A single vine can live for years, grow dozens of feet long, and produce hundreds of tomatoes.
A packing and shipping facility at the same site ensures quick delivery of tomatoes to multiple grocery stores along the Wasatch Front.
Houweling's Chief Marketing Officer David Bell says the Mona operation employs about 100 people in the winter, and 150 in the summer when longer daylight hours fuel faster growth of the tomatoes. He anticipates the company will double the size of the Utah facility in 2018.
Houweling's will also be recruiting new employees at a job fair held in Spanish Fork on Tuesday, January 31st from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. It will take place at the Spanish Fork Employment Center at 1185 N. Canyon Creek Parkway.
