Making its fruit more affordable was "the whole purpose” of expanding operations and focusing on efficiencies, said Oishii co-founder and CEO Hiroki Koga. As of May 18, an 11-pack of the berries sold for $50; now, that price has dropped to $20.

New Jersey is a natural incubator for controlled environment agriculture, and growers are taking notice.

The companies are pursuing additional capital sources that must be agreeable to both parties with a goal to close the deal - if they agree - by Sept. 24, just over three weeks away.

The move will see the development of the indoor agriculture purveyor's largest outpost as part of a project with World Wildlife Fund and the St. Louis Controlled Environment Agriculture Coalition, and to meet consumer and retailer demand in the region.

The parties began working together last year and, per an announcement, are now ready to scale their system of identifying and tracking plant interactions to the Newark-based company's crop portfolio, and all future indoor vertical farms.

The 2,000-square-foot facility, which was once home to Atlantic Products Corp. during the World War II-era in Trenton, will house the indoor hydroponics farm that is committed to conserving energy, reducing water use and providing more nutrient-rich foods.