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Who Are We?
The Merit Medical Employee Garden is a 1.5-acre space on our Salt Lake City campus dedicated to employee and community well-being.
An important part of our company’s employee wellness and collective sustainability efforts, the garden strives to provide all employees with fresh produce and education. Merit Farm and Garden facilitates five programs, including a community garden, farm-to-table food production, a U-Pick program, plant sales, and education. Since 2016, our team has developed these programs based on employee interest and need.
Our History
Merit Founder and CEO Fred Lampropoulos established the Employee Garden in 2016. He envisioned a place that improved employee health, boosted morale, and ensured team members had access to fresh and nutritious food.
Since then, the garden has also become a place where sustainability and philanthropy intersect.
Cultivating Sustainability
The Employee Garden serves as a demonstration area for sustainable landscaping and farming practices. Employees learn through participation about drip irrigation, waterwise planting methods, and techniques that reflect a Regenerative Agriculture framework. Our garden team promotes that healthy soils and living organisms are key parts of a thriving garden and environment.
The garden also has a zero food-loss policy. All surplus produce is donated to the larger community. Any significantly damaged or inedible produce is donated to a local high school that cares for farm animals as part of its curriculum. At the end of each gardening season, any green waste goes to the local landfill to make compost.
Farm-to-Table
In addition to employees having their own garden boxes to enjoy, the Employee Garden also provides produce for the Merit Cafés.
Produce grown in the garden is used in employee meals, the salad bar, and whole produce sales. This effort has shown to be an effective way to keep food local and sustainable while offering employees a chance to taste the difference in freshly grown food.
More Goodness Grown in the Garden
The garden has a U-Pick section, where employees can exchange weeding for a basket of produce. This ensures all employees have access to fresh fruits and veggies, even if they choose not to have a garden box.
In addition, our team offers frequent gardening workshops, nutritional education, and international recipe celebrations. Classes change each year based on employee interest and need.
Giving Back
With the help of a commercial greenhouse, the Employee Garden hosts summer, autumn, and holiday plant sales. Employees are welcome to purchase items from these sales, and all proceeds benefit Merit’s Candy Cane Program, which helps fellow employees in need during the holiday season.
Encouraging Our Community
In addition to supporting employee wellness, Merit’s Salt Lake campus strives to be a leading example of an entire campus that acknowledges water as a valuable resource. In 2022, Merit removed over 2 acres of grass to help save water during a drought in the state.
As a result of these efforts, other local and national businesses have toured the Employee Garden and Merit’s larger facility to replicate similar initiatives.
The Next Generation
The Employee Garden also holds educational activities for the whole family. Employee family members and children are encouraged to visit the garden and join the fun. Part of the garden is dedicated to children’s engagement, and our team offers special events geared toward learning about gardening, food, and ways to enjoy the outdoors.
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