AmplifiedAg Inc. Completes $40MM In Capital Raise, Expanding Global Technologies And Vertical Roots Indoor Farms Across The Southeast

August 9, 2021

CHARLESTON, S.C., /PRNewswire/ -- AmplifiedAg Inc.™, fast-growing agtech industry leader on a mission to provide global access to safe food, announced today that the company has completed $40 million in equity financing. The funding will support the continued expansion of the company's world-leading hydroponic container farm, Vertical Roots and further development of the company's holistic operating system, AmpEDGE™, which uniquely combines environment monitoring and controls with business operations for end-to-end indoor farm management.

"Our demonstrated ability to scale our indoor farms and technology is leading to discussions with strategic and financial partners, and we expect to consummate additional financing later this year to further accelerate Vertical Roots' presence across the Country," said Don Taylor, CEO of AmplifiedAg.

Vertical Roots' rapid success exemplifies the time, profitability, operational growth efficiency, and superior product quality AmplifiedAg farms and technology achieve. In less than four years, Vertical Roots has grown to be the largest hydroponic container farm in the world growing multiple varieties of mature, fresh leafy greens. The company currently operates three farm sites in Charleston, S.C., Columbia, S.C., and Atlanta, Ga. with produce available at 1,700 major grocery stores across 12 states including retailers such as Publix, Harris Teeter and Whole Foods, as well as schools, universities, and restaurants.

The current round of funding will support the installation of farms in north and central Florida, extending Vertical Roots' dominant position as the leading CEA and vertical farming business in the southeast market.

AmplifiedAg implements a distinctive strategy to operate Vertical Roots farms directly at distribution facilities, eliminating a massive leg of produce transportation in order to reduce emissions and provide communities with fresh, locally grown produce. Vertical Roots current focus is on nutritious, mature lettuce varieties that are celebrated for their flavor, freshness and being 100% pesticide-free.

Taylor added, "We're dually focused to deploy Vertical Roots farms across the country as close to the point of consumption as possible, while advancing and expanding AmplifiedAg's global network of proven technologies and farms to others in the CEA industry."

About AmplifiedAg, Inc.

AmplifiedAg, Inc.™ is an agtech industry visionary on a mission to provide global access to safe food. The company manufactures indoor vertical container farms, hydroponic systems, and disruptive seed-to-sale SaaS-based technologies. AmplifiedAg provides holistic indoor farming solutions to sustainably grow and distribute food anywhere in the world. 

AmplifiedAg owns and operates Vertical Roots, the largest hydroponic container farm in the World with produce in over 1,700 grocery stores nationwide. Learn more at www.amplifiedaginc.com. Growing Food for a Growing World.

European Pension Managers Go Big For Indoor Ag as Equilibrium Closes $1.1bn CEA Fund

By Louisa Burwood-Taylor

July 8, 2021

Equilibrium Capital, a US-based private sustainable finance and ESG funds manager, has closed its second indoor ag fund on just over $1 billion – well beyond its $500 million target.

Controlled Environment Foods Fund II (CEFF II) raised $1.02 billion from a group of institutional investors, mostly pension funds, with a strong showing from Europe, according to Equilibrium CEO Dave Chen. Sweden’s AP4 was one of five anchor investors that took over half of the total fund alongside two large UK pension managers, he added.

CEFF II will invest in high-tech greenhouses, indoor, vertical farms, and other sectors that need controlled environment agriculture (CEA) facilities such as alternative proteins and aquaculture.

“The strong investor demand reflects a drive to real assets” and sustainability by large institutional investors, combined with an “interest in agriculture and food systems,” Chen told AFN.

“There is a sense that ag is going through several simultaneous disruptions and that creates an opportunity.”

A press release announcing the fund closing states that investors and retailers “are increasingly looking for more sustainable, and less volatile, ways to invest in and scale agriculture.

“CEA shifts agriculture from a land-centered industry where the land, geography, and weather determines what can grow, into a climate-resilient industry that can now focus on the consumer’s demand for the fresh, safe, and regional fruits and vegetables they want to eat,” it continues.

For Portland, Oregon-based Equilibrium — which has funds across environmental and sustainability verticals including ‘green’ real estate, water, wastewater, and outdoor agricultural production — CEA is a compelling investment opportunity for its ability to dramatically increase the productivity of food production “per unit of resource input [and] land use,” said Chen.

“The ability to ride a tech innovation curve, locate farms regionally for quality and resilience, adapt to climate change, and capture demand from retailers and food service” also make it attractive, he added.

Asked where he expects the market share for CEA-produced food to be in five years, he estimated upwards of 30-50%. “Tomatoes are already there,” he said.

Equilibrium is predominantly a real assets investor, owning or investing in indoor farming facilities and greenhouses, but it also buys equity stakes in operating companies. CEFF II will invest between $10 million and $125 million per deal, primarily across North America. It has made three investments to date — two in the US and one in Mexico — mostly in mature high-wire crops like tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers, as well as the emerging categories of leafy greens and berries.

Equilibrium’s $336 million Fund I portfolio includes indoor ag companies such as AppHarvest — which went public earlier this year via a SPAC merger — Revol Greens, and Little Leaf Farms.

Indoor Ag Sci Cafe Talks About Propagation And Transplants

August 5, 2021

This presentation ‘Precision Indoor Propagation for High Quality Transplants’ was given by Dr. Ricardo Hernandez (North Carolina State University) during our 32nd cafe forum on August 3rd, 2021.

Upcoming Cafes:

• September 21st (Tuesday), 11AM Eastern – ‘Introduction to Aquaponics‘ by Dr. Paul Brown and Dr. Cary Mitchell (Purdue University)

• October 26th (Tuesday), 11AM Eastern – ‘Vertical Farming – Past, Present and Future‘ by Robert Colangelo (Green Sense Farms)

• November TBA

• December 7th (Tuesday), 11AM Eastern – ‘Plant-Made Pharmaceuticals under Controlled Environment‘ by Dr. Nobuyuki Matoba (University of Louisville)

Interested in giving a talk to share your thoughts and experiences? Please contact Chieri Kubota

AppHarvest Names Julie Nelson EVP, Operations to Build Industry-Leading Manufacturing and Supply Chain Capabilities and Drive Performance Across Network of Farms

August 5, 2021

AppHarvest to leverage Nelson’s proven experience at PepsiCo, McKinsey to drive productivity across the company’s network of high-tech indoor farms and optimize operations to support profitable growth

MOREHEAD, Ky., Aug. 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AgTech leader AppHarvest (NASDAQ: APPH, APPHW), a public benefit company and certified B Corporation focused on farming more sustainably using up to 90% less water than open-field agriculture and only recycled rainwater, has named Julie Nelson its executive vice president, operations. Nelson will lead efforts to scale AppHarvest’s network of farms and to build manufacturing and supply chain capability to ensure efficient delivery of consistent, high-quality products to major grocers and restaurants.

“Julie’s deep experience optimizing complex manufacturing and distribution networks for major consumer goods companies and her proven ability to drive productivity across the supply chain will help us to deliver improved profitability as we scale,” said AppHarvest President David Lee.

Nelson will play an integral role as an executive management committee member, reporting to President David Lee, and will aid in developing company strategy, establishing operations and driving efficiency to reach productivity and cost goals while ensuring quality and customer satisfaction.

“Julie has battleground-tested experience in scaling operations across sites,” said AppHarvest Founder & CEO Jonathan Webb. “Her recent focus on improving sustainability in the food and beverage supply chain by reducing food waste, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions makes her a natural fit at AppHarvest.”

Nelson joins AppHarvest most recently from McKinsey & Company, following a long tenure with PepsiCo, where she led supply chain teams in the North American beverage business and the global operations team. Her focus areas included network optimization, scaling new digital technologies and end-to-end value chain productivity.

“AppHarvest’s mission aligns with my personal values,” Nelson said. “AppHarvest’s vision of combining the best that nature offers boosted with world-class technology to sustainably and affordably grow nutritious fruits and vegetables is inspiring, and I look forward to building a best-in-class operational team in support of this mission to build a climate-resilient food supply.”

Nelson holds a bachelor of science in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is an advisory council member for the West Virginia University Global Supply Chain Management Program.

About AppHarvest

AppHarvest is an applied technology company in Appalachia developing and operating some of the world’s largest high-tech indoor farms, designed to grow non-GMO, chemical pesticide-free produce, using up to 90 percent less water than open-field agriculture and only recycled rainwater while producing yields up to 30 times that of traditional agriculture on the same amount of land without agricultural runoff. The company combines the best that nature offers boosted with world-class technology including artificial intelligence and robotics to improve access for all to nutritious food, farming more sustainably, building a domestic food supply, and increasing investment in Appalachia. The company’s 60-acre Morehead, Ky. facility is among the largest indoor farms in the U.S. For more information, visit https://www.appharvest.com/.

MEDIA CONTACTS: Travis Parman, Travis.Parman@appharvest.com;
Blair Carpenter, Blair.Carpenter@appharvest.com
IMAGE/VIDEO GALLERY: Available here

Lead Photo: Julie Nelson will be joining AppHarvest as its executive vice president, operations.

Babylon Micro-Farms Partners With Harvest Table, Providing Fresher, Hyper-Local Food Options To Top Universities Across America

July 30, 2021

Babylon Micro-Farms, the intelligent, accessible and market-leading indoor micro-farm company, is excited to announce their partnership with Harvest Table Culinary Group, the pioneering collegiate food service company. To kick off the partnership, Babylon installed their micro-farms in Harvest Table colleges and universities, including University of Virginia, Wake Forest University, Elon University, and Springfield College, serving over 40,000 students.
 

With the food hall climate continuing to evolve year to year, several universities are beginning to increase the amount of sustainable and healthy food options for their students across campus. Babylon is stepping in to help make university life more sustainable and healthy, with the installation of their micro-farms in the food halls. These micro-farms produce the freshest, high-quality selection of crops for kitchens to use in preparing their menus. Food from Babylon Micro-Farms is not only good for your health, but also for the environment, as they grow food locally with few pollutants, less water, food waste, and is pesticide free.

Harvest Table Culinary Group has a track record of culinary excellence, taking pride in their fresh and responsibly-sourced ingredients. President of Harvest Table, Mary Thornton comments, “Our partnership with Babylon Micro-Farms enables us to bring the Harvest Table effect to life for our students and their guests across the country. As we return to a new normal in the fall, there is a ripe opportunity for collaboration with student groups to further support the cause of local foods.”

Since 2017, Babylon Micro-Farms has delivered a simple, yet engaging indoor growing experience, helping companies such as hospitals, senior living communities and universities showcase their commitment to providing fresh, nutritious produce and sustainability to their students and other customers. The goal through their on-site farming service is to make growing simple for anyone. Babylon is the most affordable, efficient, and advanced vertical farming platform available, remotely managed through the cloud with unparalleled customer service. To date, the company operates a network of 45 farms in the Mid-Atlantic region of the USA with a further 106 farms due to be installed by Q1 2022.
 

Babylon’s CEO, Alexander Olesen shares, “Harvest Table represents the thought leader in the education space and we're extremely happy to partner with them. This partnership demonstrates how we can grow at scale and this is the first step in our plan to get into as many universities as possible.”

What’s Real And What’s Hype With Controlled Environment Agriculture?

July 27, 2021

The flourishing development of Controlled Environment Agriculture and how retailers and consumers view this emerging segment of fresh produce production will be the topic of an educational session at Organic Produce Summit 2021. The Growth of CEA—What’s Real and What’s Hype from a Retail and Consumer Perspective will feature leadership from a pair of recognized retailers and one of the fresh produce industry’s most progressive grower-shippers, offering their insight on how indoor-grown fresh produce items come to market, pricing and marketing challenges, and how consumers are reacting to them.

Moderated by Walter Robb, former CEO of Whole Foods, the session is the second of a two-part educational series at OPS offering a retailer and consumer perspective on the growth of indoor growing. Among the topics to be discussed in the session are the impact of indoor-grown products on the supply chain, the messaging and labeling of these various items, and the ramifications of what CEA production means for the organic fresh produce industry.

Panelists for the session include Frances Dillard, vice president of brand and product marketing at Driscoll’s; Victor Savanello, vice president produce and floral at Spartan Nash; and Shawn Peery, vice president produce and floral at Albertsons.

Production of fresh produce in CEA has become a $100 billion-plus industry, showcasing how growing indoors uses less water and no pesticides, while incorporating innovative and efficient technologies to provide fresher produce to consumers. “CEA is changing the landscape of food production and providing consumers a variety of new items that will continue to evolve in the years ahead,” said Susan Canales, president of Organic Produce Summit. “OPS attendees will have the chance to hear from retail leadership on how these products are marketed and learn about the challenges and opportunities these new items offer consumers.”

This second educational workshop follows a session exploring the growth of CEA from leaders actively involved in the production of indoor growing. The panelists for the first session include Philip Karp, president of Shenandoah Growers; Marc Oshima, co-founder of AeroFarms; and Caitlin Tierney, director of business development for Mastronardi Produce.

“Indoor agriculture is increasingly playing a more meaningful role in our fresh produce supply, in terms of volume, variety, and geographical footprint,” said Robb. “The ability of indoor ag to provide predictability and resiliency for supply, coupled with its lower impact on both the environment and resource use, is drawing substantial interest from both investors and consumers. Clearly, the future will be a hybrid one and our panels will explore how quickly and responsibly this will happen.”

Organic Produce Summit 2021 is a live and in-person two-day event specifically designed to bring together organic fresh produce growers, shippers, and processors with retailer and buying organizations from across North America. Over 1,000 attendees will meet Sept. 15-16 in Monterey, CA, to exchange ideas, information and insights into the organic fresh produce industry.   

In addition to the educational sessions focused on CEA, a session looking at the organic industry in a post-COVID-19 environment and a keynote presentation by Jim Donald, co-chairman of Albertsons, have also been announced. OPS 2021 also includes a selection of field tours for retailers and buyers, a gala opening night reception, and a sold-out trade show floor featuring over 150 producers and processors of organic fresh produce from across North America and the globe.

Indoor Farming Is In Growth Mode

By Lynn Petrak

July 9, 2021

The future of indoor farming, including vertical farming, has nowhere to go but up. With parallel and perhaps inevitably colliding trends of sustainability, plant-based eating, food safety and labor-saving agricultural practices, produce grown in controlled environments is likely to become much more common in grocery stores.

As a testament to the sunny future of the ag tech niche, the U.S. Department of Agriculture started a new Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production last year. More than $3 million in initial grants were made available through that department in 2020.

Prognosticators have weighed in on a future of food that includes strategically located indoor farms throughout the country. In a report released late last year, Allied Market Research, whose Americas office is in Portland, Ore., projected that the global vertical-farming industry is expected to reach $1.38 billion by 2027, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.2% from 2021 to 2027.

Several grocers are already buying into this type of produce supply. Earlier this year, The Kroger Co., based in Cincinnati, began sourcing fresh produce from Hamilton, Ohio-based indoor grower 80 Acres Farms for the retailer’s stores in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. In 2020, Kroger partnered with German startup Infarm to add modular vertical farms to two of its Quality Food Centers in the Seattle area.

Also last year, Publix Super Markets said that it will invest more in hydroponic produce and added a new on-site trailer farm from a local hydroponic grower to its GreenWise Market store in the grocer’s hometown of Lakeland, Fla. Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons Cos. has collaborated with South San Francisco, Calif.-based Plenty and with Bowery Farming, based in New York, to provide its shoppers with fresh produce grown indoors. Natural and organic retailer Whole Foods Market, based in Austin, Texas, recently added a mini-farm from New York-based Farm.One to one of its Big Apple stores to provide herbs for prepared pizzas and drinks. In addition to these and other large grocery players, smaller chains and independents have teamed up with various greenhouses and growing operations near their locations.   

Consumers have expressed their opinions about produce grown indoors. According to the 2021 “Power of Produce” report published by Arlington, Va.-based FMI – The Food Industry Association, and conducted by San Antonio-based 210 Analytics, 43% of shoppers don’t have a preference for produce coming from indoor versus outdoor farms. Those most likely to prefer indoor growing include urbanites, consumers with above-average spend per person, members of the Generation Z age demographic, higher-income households, core value-added shoppers, organic produce buyers and men. Those more likely to prefer outdoor-grown produce include consumers in rural areas and conventional produce buyers, the report found.

AeroFarms uses aeroponic methods to grow healthy plants, using up to 95% less water and no pesticides.

Greener Pastures

One of the biggest drivers of the move to produce more food in indoor-farming facilities is sustainability. From an environmental standpoint, indoor-grown produce may be part choice, part necessity, depending on the area and the circumstances.

Necessity is born of conditions wrought by continual weather extremes that are often attributed to a changing climate. Unusual weather patterns resulting in droughts, floods, storm damage and harmful freezes take a toll on traditional farms and on the farmers who grow fresh fruits and vegetables.  

Weather extremes have always happened, but are becoming more frequent. For example, coming off last summer’s devastating derecho event, a drought that began in late 2020 in Iowa and has continued through early summer is stressing that state’s corn and soybean crops. Earlier this year, rare heavy snow, ice and frigid temperatures in Texas hurt winter wheat and some citrus crops.

At the same time, there’s an overall push to produce food in a more sustainable way. More than two-thirds (64%) of American consumers say that they’re willing to pay a premium for environmentally friendly products. “There is a trend – not a fad – of consumers who appreciate the benefit of getting produce soon after it’s harvested,” says David Rosenberg, co-founder and CEO of vertical-farming leader AeroFarms, based in Newark, N.J., “and more and more customers are realizing that they want products with no pesticides, because those are not meant for human beings.”

On the business side, sustainability is a central part of many CPGs’ and grocers’ corporate- responsibility platforms as they pledge to reduce their use of resources like water and energy. Many manufacturers and retailers have also revealed goals to cut down on or eliminate the use of pesticides in their products.  

Other Seeds of Change

In addition to the pursuit of sustainable growing practices, other factors are contributing to interest in this method of agriculture. The need to shore up food security in the face of a booming global population and the problem of urban food deserts are notable catalysts. So is consumers’ penchant for eating more fresh plant-based foods, and foods grown in a more sustainable way.

Meanwhile, as evidenced in ubiquitous “Now hiring” signs, it can be tough to find workers to plant, care for and harvest crops. Indoor farms run with several automated controls and tasks are less affected by fluctuations and stresses in the labor market.

The global COVID-19 pandemic also contributed to the acceleration of indoor farming. When some retailers faced supply chain issues and had difficulty sourcing fresh products, they turned to new vendor partners that operated indoor farms with more controlled conditions and inventories. Indoor farms typically can be built faster and are also versatile operations that allow for pivots in the event of changing circumstances.

There are additional practical reasons for sourcing produce from indoor growers. “Right now, retailers want consistency in price, quality and delivery. At its core, we are delivering consistency,” notes Rosenberg, citing other profit-driven benefits such as reduced shrink and spoilage.

Modern indoor farms combine technology and agriculture to provide fresh produce in a more sustainable way.

Indoor-Farm Tour

Generally, plants in indoor-farming facilities are grown in cells stacked for space savings and efficiency. In lieu of the sun, LED lights are used to facilitate growth. 

Watering techniques vary. In hydroponic farms, plant roots are placed in nutrient-rich solutions instead of soil. With aeroponics, exposed roots hang down from the plant and receive nutrients via a system that sprays nutrient-filled water.

Indoor farms take different forms in the United States and around the world. Some indoor farms are massive in size and almost industrial in their setup. Others are smaller and hyperlocal, using locations like repurposed shipping containers or greenhouses. Some farms are constructed vertically to minimize the physical footprint or to use existing buildings, while others are more spread out in their design. Farms are being built in urban areas, often in former manufacturing facilities, warehouses or multilevel stores, and in more rural areas, where they are run by longtime family farm owners who are looking for ways to reinvent their businesses in the wake of competition from big farms.

One thing is for sure: There are more of these types of growing operations. AeroFarms is one grower on the march, with a l36,000-square-foot aeroponics farm under construction in Virginia, set to be finished sometime in 2022.

In June, Vertical Roots, a Charleston, S.C.-based hydroponic container farm that’s part of Amplifed Ag, opened its third indoor farm in Atlanta at a facility run by two large produce suppliers in the Southeast. According to the company, the new farm will eliminate the need for transportation to the distributor and will enable produce to be delivered to local customers the same day that it’s harvested.

In mid-June, Morehead, Ky.-based grower AppHarvest revealed that it’s adding two large indoor farms in the Bluegrass State. With a completion date of the end of 2022, the farms will produce non-GMO leafy greens and fruits for shipment to grocers and restaurants.

Also in 2021, Irvington, N.Y.-based BrightFarms opened its newest indoor farm, in Hendersonville, N.C., a 6-acre greenhouse that will deliver to retailers in nearby areas in that state, as well as in South Carolina and Georgia.

Startup Bowery Farms is opening an R&D hub called “Farm X” that will help expand product development. The facility includes a new sensory lab and innovation center.

In another sign of the health of this sector, there’s major seed money – no pun intended – going toward indoor farming. Berlin-based Infarm, for example, is said to be going public following a reported merger with Kernel Group Holdings Inc., of San Francisco. In May, Bowery Farming revealed a new round of funding to the tune of $300 million that lifted the company’s estimated value to about $2.3 billion. Indoor-farming company Gotham Greens, based in Brooklyn, N.Y., revealed $87 million in new funding in December 2020.

While indoor farms are expanding, crops produced in such facilities are expected to grow, too.  Most ag tech companies currently produce leafy greens and herbs in hundreds of different varieties. Tomatoes are also grown hydroponically in many places. Better technologies and a greater collective knowledge are spurring innovations in other types of crops grown indoors in an eco-friendlier way. AppHarvest, for its part, is growing strawberries in one of its new locations, and vine crops in another.

Implications for the Retail Produce Section

More and different types of indoor farms are transforming agriculture – and the retail produce department.  Since many of these products are packaged on site, supermarket produce sections now feature a greater mix of packaged and bulk items. Offerings like packaged salads and tomatoes also help define and elevate a brand, whether it’s a store brand or a grower brand. 

Coming off a year in which consumers prepared more foods and experimented with new products and varieties, several new products grown in indoor-farming facilities have hit the marketplace. Medford, Minn.-based Revol Greens recently rolled out new varieties of chopped romaine salads made with lettuces grown at its indoor farm in its home state. Revolution Farms, in Caledonia, Mich., is launching four new salad mixes. One of Bowery Farming’s latest products is a new Bowery Crispy Leaf Lettuce, deemed to be a “reinvigorated version” of iceberg lettuce. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg (lettuce).  

Grocers can merchandise indoor-farmed produce in a creative way to distinguish their offerings and connect with shoppers. “We’ve worked in a process of co-creating with retailers,” observes AeroFarms’ Rosenberg. “It is an opportunity to deliver innovation and excitement for an exciting category.”

Lead Photo: Hydroponic farming company Vertical Roots is growing its footprint with a new indoor lettuce farm in the Atlanta area.

No Sun, No Soil, And Robot Farmers: Is This Tomorrow’s Food Crop?

By Megan Backhouse

July 2, 2021

Even by the unconventional standards of modern-day urban agriculture, Geert Hendrix’s set-up is unorthodox. It is in an Alphington warehouse, with no windows and no soil, and is filled with the most diminutive of crops.

Tiny purple radish stems, miniscule basil leaves and microscopic watercress seedlings are the heavy hitters here. Their stems strain towards LED lights and their roots stretch down through hemp fibre and coconut coir into fish-tanks.

Geert Hendrix with one of his indoor growing systems. CREDIT: JUSTIN MCMANUS

Other leafy greens are growing on illuminated shelves that have nutrient-rich water recirculating inside them. Lettuces are being cultivated – in a sealed glass cabinet – on nothing but air and a regular misting of another nutrient solution. Other plants are tended by robot.

Freewheeling, this place is not. Space is carefully allocated, lighting is monitored and close tabs are kept on waste. Nothing is left to chance. Hendrix, part of a growing band of people working to make food production more sustainable and reliable, is using his indoor farm at the Melbourne Innovation Centre to help turn traditional methods of food production on their head.

He says the range of growing systems – some of which are at more experimental stages than others – is predominantly aimed at showing high-school students what is possible.

Purple radishes growing in trays of hemp fibre atop a fish tank. CREDIT: JUSTIN MCMANUS

As anyone growing vegetables as microgreens in trays of soil in a sunny spot in their kitchen will tell you, growing baby plants doesn’t have to be high-tech. You need to be rigorous with your twice-daily rinsing, but then, in little more than a week, you will invariably have a good yield of aromatic, nutritionally dense miniature greens at the ready.

Hendrix says it’s the very ease and speed of growing microgreens that makes them such a powerful educational tool. “I see them as a gateway to help people become full-spectrum farmers in the future.” He expects that, over the next 10 years, big shifts in agricultural processes will create new opportunities for farming, and he wants to inspire young people to take advantage of them.

Lead photo: Lettuces growing in a sealed glass cabinet. CREDIT: JUSTIN MCMANUS

Crowdfunding Developers of Herb Tower Succeed

July 6, 2021

In recent weeks, the entrepreneurs of Local Indoor Farming (LIF) ran a crowdfunding campaign to bring their innovative herb tower to the market. Successfully so, because thanks to the support of 88 investors, the herb tower can now be taken into production. The first specimens are expected in September.

The entrepreneurs, Harm, Marnix, and Ard-Jan from LIF, want to make high-quality fresh herbs available to everyone. They developed a herbal tower based on the principle of 'Local Indoor Farming'. This tower ensures that herbs can grow under ideal conditions. Because of the flexible design, the tower fits in any interior.

Minimum start-up capital exceeded
The required start capital to take the herbal tower into production was raised through a crowdfunding campaign. A total of 108,000 Euro was raised from 88 investors. The minimum amount of 80,000 Euro has thus been amply exceeded.

Even more important than the initial capital, according to the entrepreneurs, was the attention that they could draw to the herbal tower in this way. Quite a few towers have already been sold and there is also a great deal of interest from the catering and business sectors. This ensures a flying start for the young company.

First units
In the coming weeks, the finishing touches will be added to the production of the first units. They will be delivered from September onwards. The herb tower is offered in combination with a subscription for fresh herbs, so that the customer always has sufficient choice from a diverse range of herbs.

The entrepreneurs have developed a care package for the hotel and catering industry, so that companies do not have to worry about the maintenance of the tower. Customers can also order individual herbs and accessories via their webshop www.lifkruiden.nl.

The entrepreneurs want to stimulate the use of fresh herbs and combat waste. They inform about the use and maintenance of herbs by means of a herbal information package, which can be requested for free via www.lifgroup.nl/kruideninfopakket.

For more information:
Harm Keurhorst
LIF Group
hkeurhorst@lifgroup.nl
www.lifgroup.nl

"New Tabletop Growing System Requires Much Lower Capital Investment"

Introducing "Plantlogic’s hi-grow system"

Plantlogic is focused on developing and producing containers and growing systems for substrate agriculture.

"The benefits of tabletop strawberry production are well known – boosting yields using substrate techniques and reducing labor costs. However, the capital investment needed for the most common system, metal gutters, can be a major barrier to the expansion of this growing system," they have seen.

"Furthermore, the substrate in slabs compromises many of the benefits of substrate production. Still, other tabletop systems compromise plant health by creating continuous troughs of the substrate with uneven drainage or sealing roots into a closed space." 

For the past four years, Plantlogic has been developing a totally new tabletop growing system that seeks to reduce the capital investment while continuing to create optional conditions for roots to thrive. The result of these years of testing, design failures, and successes is the “Hi-Grow System”.

"Available in a variety of configurations including for troughs/pots, for slabs, with and without drainage collection. Now growers can enjoy the benefits of substrate tabletop production without compromising benefits with a much lower capital investment," they say. 

Specific advantages of using Plantlogic’s Hi-Grow system are first, that it benefits from tabletop production at a lower cost. "Secondly, it supports troughs/pots, as the pots provide the best conditions for root development with a fixed volume, carefully controlled drainage, and oxygen uptake holes, making irrigation easier."

"Besides, it enables growers to do develop plants in the same container in a high-density nursery environment then move tabletops for fruit production. Growers can save money by using bulk substrate or enable the use of the blended substrate. Finally, growers can avoid labor for removal or pollution from the plastic film around slabs, and the truss support is included in the pots," they continue.

This solution supports the use of traditional substrate slabs. Also, drainage is collected into a narrow gutter. Growers can reduce risks by separating plants from drainage and other containers, as the trough is not continuous.

For more information:
Plantlogic
sales@getplantlogic.com
www.getplantlogic.com 

17 Jun 2021

"For Fruit To Be On The Water For 51 Days And Still Be Sold As A Premium Product Is Unheard Of"

Roger Horak - OZblu®

United Exports recently announced that a container of fresh OZblu® blueberries transited the Pacific ocean – from the port of Manzanillo in Mexico to the port of Hong Kong – spending 51 days at sea and arriving fresh and ready for sale in Hong Kong, on 20 May 2021. This was one of several containers sent to Asia from OZblu-Sun Farms’ first harvest in Mexico.

2013 saw the first commercial harvest of OZblu blueberries, the main production area back then was in South Africa with limited production in Australia. These days the blueberries are grown in Peru, Mexico, Chile, US, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Morocco, Australia, Portugal and Spain.

The biggest production area is in South Africa followed by Peru then Mexico.

“We have used various productions models comprising both contracted growers and our own production with the expansion very much focused on our own production,” explains Roger Horak, Co-founder of OZblu.

“OZblu varieties are unusual in that they are very adaptable and produce the same fruit in different locations around the world, same yield, crunchiness and taste. South America, especially Mexico fits in well to supply the US and compliments our production there. Peru and Chile have access to China, which South Africa does not have, so it is a case of lining up production with markets to supply the markets 365 days a year. It also spreads risk, for example frost in northern South Africa last year caused a delay of 6-8 weeks in production which needed to be supplied from our other production sites.”

The blueberry category has seen a massive growth in recent years but now according to Roger, it is individual varieties, all markets are differentiating by variety.

“Initially a blueberry was just a blueberry but now there is a huge demand for varietals that deliver flavour and crunch, anyone that thinks growing old open varieties is still an option is dreaming. China is a premium and very discerning market, the EU, UK and US are now all the same. We have not even scratched the surface of what is achievable with proprietary varieties.”

“When we started on this journey, we had our varieties independently tested by Experico which showed that they all could handle 40 days sea freight in normal refrigerated containers, now 96.5% of OZBLU production from South African goes by sea in standard refrigerated containers, versus the rest of the industry only achieving around 60% for sea freight exports. We normally only use refrigerated containers, occasionally CA but nothing else, no modified atmosphere bags or other technology. For fruit to be on the water for 51 days and still be sold as a premium product is unheard of. In this Covid world the importance of being able to ship by sea is essential, as air freight space and rates are very challenging.”

Roger said they are planning a massive ramping up of acreage in the coming years, and intend to double production every two years.

“It is demand driven, the increase will be in the production areas which are stable and attractive for investors and where breeders IP is respected and protected.”

For more information:
Chole Middleton
United Exports
Tel: +27 21 879 2306
chloe@unitedexports.com.au 
www.united-exports.com 

Publication date: Wed 9 Jun 2021
Author: Nichola McGregor
© FreshPlaza.com

USA: VIRGINIA - Maker of Hydroponic Farming Systems Gets $1 Million Grant, Relocates Headquarters To Scott's Addition

John Reid Blackwell

June 24, 2021

A startup company that makes indoor, hydroponic farming systems has opened its new headquarters and production site in the Scott’s Addition area of Richmond.

The opening of the Babylon Micro-Farms Inc. office comes after the company received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation with the potential for $750,000 in follow-on funding to continue development of BabylonIQ, its technology platform designed to operate decentralized, automated micro-farms.

The grant will help the company move further into commercialization. The company had been awarded a $225,000 Phase 1 grant in 2019 to conduct scientific trials of its technology.

Babylon Micro-Farms also completed a $3 million investment round in the first quarter of this year. Investors include Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology, Hull Street Capital, Venture South, and the CAV Angels Group.

The capital raised “helped us move here [to Richmond] and build our team,” Alexander Oleson, the company’s CEO who co-founded the business with Graham Smith, said Thursday as Babylon Micro-Farms hosted an open house at the headquarters.

“A lot of it is about switching from an R&D organization to a sales organization,” Oleson said. “We have a backlog of orders to fill.”

Babylon Micro-Farms was founded in Charlottesville in 2017 by Oleson and Smith, who were University of Virginia students. The company announced plans to move its headquarters to Richmond earlier this year.

The company now has more than 30 employees working in a renovated 7,700-square-foot building on Carlton Street. The facility serves as the company’s main office as well as a research and development site for its indoor farming units designed to grow more than 40 different types of leafy greens, herbs and flowers.

From the Scott’s Addition site, the company staff also can remotely monitor the functioning of more than 40 of its indoor farming units that have been installed at customer sites including retirement communities, universities, and corporate cafeterias.

Several of the company’s 8-foot-tall, climate-controlled farming units stand in the main lobby of the headquarters, growing plants such as basil, kale, lettuce, and bok choy.

In a research area of the building, Babylon Micro-Farms is testing growing other produce such as strawberries and peppers in its hydroponic systems.

“Our hope is to be in hundreds of locations by the end of next year, mostly in Virginia, but really casting our footprint nationally,” Oleson said.

Photos: John Reid Blackwell

1. Karen Sizer, an account manager for Babylon Micro-Farms Inc., spoke with visitors on Thursday about the company’s hydroponic, indoor farming systems. The company, founded in Charlottesville in 2017, hosted an open house at its new headquarters in Scott’s Addition.

2. Alexander Oleson, co-founder, and CEO of Babylon Micro-Farms stands by one of the company’s 8-foot-tall, climate-controlled hydroponic farming units.

3. Babylon Micro-Farms Inc., a maker of indoor farming systems, has its headquarters and research facility on Carlton Street in the Scott’s Addition area of Richmond

jblackwell@timesdispatch.com

(804) 775-8123

China Introduces Farm Display with Air Purifier

In a shopping mall in Urumqi City, people were attracted by an indoor growing display. "It doesn't only allow you to eat fresh vegetables but it also purifies the air," said the representer. 

The indoor farm cabinet is as big as a refrigerator, divided into four layers with LED lights installed on every level. Regardless of the vegetable planting machine occupies less than one square meter, it can grow seven or eight kinds of vegetables at the same time. There's a seedling area for the young plants to grow up, whereas the plants later can be transplanted for the final growing stage. When moved, they can be picked and eaten after 10 days.

The product allows to grow cherry tomatoes, coriander, Chinese cabbage, spinach, and strawberries. While bringing fun to people who are growing, it can also play a role in purifying the air. Especially for families with children, kids can observe the process of seed germination and vegetable growth, and follow the complete growing cycle. 

The farm has already formed large-scale planting in the mainlands because of its multi-product growth and quick-growing cycles.

Source: k.sina.com.cn (In Chinese)

Publication date: Wed 9 Jun 2021

Sweden: Opening of New In-Store Vertical Farm At ICA Maxi

“We are actually making a difference here, because we grow next to the consumer, literally,” says Andreas Dahlin, CEO of Swegreen. “There are still many vertical farms that claim to produce sustainable, located close to the consumer, but they don’t mention the last mile. If logistics are needed to get the product to the consumer, they can still make a much bigger difference. That’s why we think this hyper-local model really makes an impact in the supply chain.”

It was all laughs and surprised faces during the opening at the ICA Maxi supermarket in Linköping this week. The opening event of the in-store vertical farm, a service provided and managed by Swedish technology company Swegreen, gained lots of traction from surprised and sometimes confused shoppers. Andreas opened the event by giving a toast to invitees. After explaining the concept, the crowd was allowed a visit to the farm.

Andreas leading the tour. Photo credit: Vertical farm daily. 

Click here to view the photo report.

Biggest in Sweden
After successfully launching an in-store farm at ICA Focus, Gothenburg late 2020, the Swedish, fast-growing vertical farming enterprise Swegreen is now rolling out its Farming-as-a-Service concept in Scandinavia. First to get the installation in place is Ica Maxi in Linköping. The 60m2 farm supplies 10 different lettuces and herbs to the store – and more sorts are coming up – which makes this in-store growing facility the biggest in Sweden. Another share of the crops will be used in the store's own kitchen. Every day, several hundreds of crops are harvested that will end up on the shelves very soon after that.

Andreas adds, “The excessive heat from the farm is brought into the supermarket to optimally use all energy of the farm. We’re constantly looking at how we can optimize the cultivation processes up to energy use.”

Andreas explaining on vertical technologies. Photo credit: Verticalfarmdaily.

Full control
All technology is supplied and developed by Swegreen, such as the cultivation room and the AI-based control system which controls and optimizes the environment remotely. The farm is fully equipped with sensors, taking a huge relief off the farm operator who normally visits the facility 3-4 hours a day. Robot arms enable the gutters to be automatically moved from the beginning to the end-stage.

All processes are done on the farm, from seeding, breeding, cultivation and harvesting to packing the products. Everything in the farm is visible to the naked eye of store visitors.

Sepehr Mousavi, Chief Innovation Officer, and Innovation Lead at Swegreen explains that all technology is automated. “We can prevent any kind of error in the farm because the sensors will notify our technical services team immediately if something goes wrong to prevent any downtime.”

Click here to view the photo report.

Lead photo: Photo report: Swegreen launches event to celebrate project launch

For more information:
Swegreen
Andreas Dahlin, CEO of Swegreen
andreas.dahlin@swegreen.se
www.swegreen.se 

Publication date: Wed 16 Jun 2021
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© FreshPlaza.com

Aspara’s High-Tech At-Home Farm Launches In The U.S.

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by Jennifer Marston

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Hong Kong-based Aspara, which makes high-tech, tabletop-sized farming units for homes, is now shipping devices across the U.S. through retailers like Home Depot, Wayfair, and via its own website.

The Spoon flagged Aspara back in January as a company to watch in the up-and-coming at-home farming space because of the device’s small size, lowish price point, and approach to hydroponics. At the time, the company was selling its system, which can fit easily on a countertop, to customers in Hong Kong and in very, very limited quantities via Amazon to other parts of the world.

This official U.S. launch makes the device available to all U.S. consumers. Speaking on the phone today, Rob Alexander, the Owner of Conducted Sales, the sales agent for Aspara in North American markets, said that Aspara has another eight retailers in the works, though he couldn’t at this point use specific names. 

High-tech, hydroponic farms have historically been the territory of industrial-scale indoor farming companies — the AeroFarms and Plentys of the world. But following this past January’s CES show, both major appliance makers like LG and Miele along with smaller startups began to heavily publicize a new kind of indoor farm, one created for the at-home consumer. These devices are typically quite small and meant to feed a single household, rather than supply a grocery retailer. 

Alexander said Aspara’s homegrown system differs from others on the market in the way it tackles the hydroponic element of farming. It uses what he calls an “ebb and flow” design, where water for the plant roots is constantly replenished from the side unit (see image above), making the water supply easier to refill than many at-home farms. Aspara’s also has sensors that determine nutrient levels in the water, the current level of humidity in the air, and whether a plant is getting too much light. An accompanying app notifies the user when any of these elements need attention.

“It’s trying to give you feedback to create the optimum growing environment,” Alexander said.

Another differentiation: the device is repairable. While that might first sound like a weird selling point (no one wants to buy tech that might break), it actually speaks to how seriously Aspara is pursuing the idea of making its high-tech grow system the kind of kitchen appliance that’s on par with a dishwasher or refrigerator. You don’t throw out a dishwasher the second something goes wrong. In the same way, Aspara users can replace parts like sensors and light canopies, rather than having to go out and buy a whole new farm.

The company’s approach recently won them the Green Product Audience Award. 

Price-wise, Aspara is on the lower end of the at-home farming spectrum.

The device goes for $349 right now at Home Depot online.

Of course these days you can’t have a conversation about at-home food production without bringing COVID-19 up. Since Apsara wasn’t available to North Americans at the height of shelter-in-place mandates, the company wasn’t measuring demand for its product in that region. However, Alexander told me they did see a spike in Hong Kong, where the device has been available for some time. 

My guess is that with the product available Stateside, that demand will surface quickly. Other at-home farming systems have seen huge jumps in demand recently as the pandemic, panic-buying sprees, and other factors have made many consumers question their total reliance on the traditional food supply chain.

Next up, Aspara wants to do a widespread launch in Canada, and also broaden the types of plants its system can grow to include other types of plants, including fruits and vegetables. 

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These High-Tech Strawberries Cost $6 Apiece. Here’s What They Taste And Smell Like

By Hannah Selinger

June 11, 2021

Some months ago, a curious new strawberry began appearing in my social media feeds. The berry, which comes in packages of three, six, or eight, was a uniform pale red. Each berry in each plastic carton looked almost exactly the same — heart-shaped, symmetrical, and indented on the surface where, in a store-bought strawberry, yellow seeds would appear. One more notable thing: They cost between $5 and $6.25 apiece.

The Omakase Berry, a Japanese variety grown by the New Jersey-based company called Oishii, bills itself as an entirely different strawberry experience. The website even offers advice when it comes to eating them: Allow berries to sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes; let the berries’ aromatics “fill the room”; inhale the “bouquet”; eat.

Oishii grows its berries indoors vertically, leveraging technology that its co-founder and CEO, Hiroki Koga, 34, explored in Japan. “I got my first start in the vertical farming industry as a consultant in Japan, where it took off before anywhere else in the world,” he said. “But the whole industry failed pretty quickly, you know, in the early 2010s in Japan, because it was too expensive to grow leafy greens in a very tech-savvy, costly environment.” The technology, he said, was there; someone just needed to find the right way to use it.

The first run of berries (the Omakase cultivar) has been geared toward the luxury market and is available only in the New York City area. But the company is in the process, Koga said, of expanding its market share. Some of the varieties the company is experimenting with can be grown in a much more cost-efficient way, he said, “which means that we should be able to place these into the market at a significantly affordable, reasonable price, compared to what it is today.”

Koga came to the United States in 2015, first to California, where, he said, the quality of produce was unexpectedly good, though not as good as in Japan. The strawberries he selected for the company’s first vertical farms in New Jersey are known as “short-day cultivars.” In Japan, “They’re grown during the winter in a greenhouse environment in a little more wet environment,” Koga said.

Long-day cultivars — American summer berries — are, he said, “optimized for mass production,” at the expense of flavor. Koga says Oishii’s low yields are guided by the same principles as fine wine production: An intentionally depleted crop, achieved by such tactics as crop-thinning, forces the plant to push more of its nutrients and flavor into fewer berries, yielding a more concentrated flavor. The growing environment, according to Koga, is also optimized so that berries yield the maximum amount of nutrients and sweetness.

“We constantly were testing and tweaking to find the perfect environment for the unique Omakase berry,” Koga said. That meant, he said, finding the optimal temperature and breeze; controlling plant management, water frequency, and pruning; and leveraging artificial intelligence to help predict yields.

I wanted to know how the Omakase Berry — billed by Koga as a berry with no American equal — would stand up to other domestic fruit. I arranged my own taste comparison, using three different strawberries: Oishii’s Omakase Berry, available only in the New York City area; widely available Driscoll’s strawberries, produced by a network of more than 900 independent growers around the world, in such places as North America, Europe, China and Australia; and first-of-the-season strawberries from Balsam Farms, in Amagansett, N.Y., down the road from where I live. (Full disclosure: My yearly CSA box comes from Balsam.)

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Driscoll's organic strawberries. (Jennifer Beeson Gregory/The Washington Post)

The appearance

Perhaps most striking about the Omakase Berry is its utter uniformity. Each orangy berry — I purchased a package of eight for $50 — looks exactly the same. Glance quickly and you might mistake the berries for marzipan candies, their exterior is so flawless.

The Driscoll’s berries ($3.99 for the company’s standard 16-ounce plastic clamshell) were far deeper in pigment — the company aims for “deep red,” said Scott Komar, 58, the company’s senior vice president for global research and development — and were larger, overall, than the Omakase, though there was variability in size. They were covered in tiny yellow seeds. In selecting berry plants, Komar said, Driscoll’s considers “the color of the strawberry, the shape, the size, and the mouth texture.”

My local strawberries (a quart for $9) were smaller, deeply pigmented and visually much less consistent. The traditional heart shape that is associated with the fruit became more triangular here on Long Island, where conditions are unpredictable. Balsam Farms, said Ian Calder-Piedmonte, 41, the farm’s co-owner, uses a technique called plasticulture. A barrier between plants and the ground is formed using plastic, aiding farmers with weed control, assisting with water management and keeping berries cleaner.

Plasticulture, Calder-Piedmonte said, combined with pruning runners, keeps the plants compact and the berry placement concentrated. Without the plastic, he said, berries can “try to set down roots between rows, and actually will take away from the growth of the mother plants.” Still, holding in my hand the tiny first berries of the Long Island season, it was hard not to consider how much work had gone into producing just a pint of fruit.

Strawberries for sale at the Kuhn Orchards booth at the Fairlington Farmers Market in Arlington, Va. (Jennifer Beeson Gregory/The Washington Post)

The aroma

Oishii isn’t lying when it says the aroma of its berries will fill the room. When I unearthed my plastic container from its refrigerator pack, I could already smell them. Opening the box, I was assaulted with the most strawberry-smelling fruit I’d ever encountered. Aroma, Koga said, is one of the classic characteristics of the Omakase Berry.

In this category, there was no competition. My Driscoll’s berries did not have much of a scent, but aroma may not be at the top of the list in breeding priority. “We conduct quantitative measurements on the sugars, acids, and aromatics of our berries,” said Komar of Driscoll’s berries. “Then that information helps us pick the berry varieties we will commercialize for our brand.” Driscoll’s places a high premium on flavor and color, and the variety I tried may not have been bred, specifically, for aroma.

My Long Island berries smelled very much like strawberries, although their scent was not nearly as potent as the Omakases. “I think there’s probably more variation on local strawberries, as there are with probably everything that’s locally produced,” Calder-Piedmonte said. Other berries that come from “incredibly controlled” environments “where it’s sunny every day” are more likely to be consistent in size, shape, flavor, and even aroma. On Long Island, he said, “I think there are a lot more variables.”

The taste

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Oishii’s Omakase Berries cost $50 for a package of eight. (Oishii)

Do you prefer a tart berry that’s firm to the tooth? Are you enamored by sweetness? What type of berry the average consumer perceives as “best” depends on such personal preference. The Omakase Berry was, without question, the sweetest that I sampled. (However, Driscoll’s grows a trademarked, premium fresh berry segment called the Sweetest Batch for strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, which Komar said are “unique selections” from the company’s breeding program; I did not try these.)

The Driscoll’s berries were the firmest of the three, with a consistent mouthfeel and flavor. It seemed to me that the objective in their breeding was a distinct balance between sweet and tart — and that balance certainly came through on each bite. In some ways, the acid, a quality in food and drink that compels you to keep consuming, makes sense: You’re unlikely to eat only a single strawberry, but Driscoll’s berries come in large, satisfying packages. It’s okay to keep eating.

As for my local berries, there was something compelling about the unpredictability. They were not the sweetest berries I’d ever tasted, but they varied between sweet and tart. Pop a strawberry in your mouth and come alive with the surprise of how sweet it is. Get a slightly underripe berry and pucker in delight. That contrast might make you wish that berries at the farm stand were sold by more than just the quart.

And, as Ian Calder-Piedmonte pointed out, the distinct advantage of a local strawberry is that you’re eating it the day it’s picked. “They really are harvested that day or the day before,” he said. Many berries are picked and then held in refrigerators (or refrigerated trucks) for days before they reach the consumer, and flavor can diminish each day. A fresh-picked berry tastes far different from a berry that has been off the plant for a few days or, as happens in some cases, a week.

Then came the Omakase Berry. The berry, Koga said, was “specifically selected out of 250 cultivars that exist in Japan,” optimizing for “very strong aroma and high sweetness level.” “Because most of the conventional strawberries here in the U.S. have a very high acidity and very low sweetness level, we just wanted to differentiate our product,” he added. This berry, with its heightened sweetness, is the type of berry that sits heavy on the tongue. Eat one, consider it, let the sugar coat the palate. That’s more than enough. The point isn’t to keep eating. The point, in fact, is to stop. So I did.

Selinger is a writer based in East Hampton, N.Y.

Lead photo: The Omakase Berry, a Japanese varietal grown indoors by Oishii in New Jersey. (Oishii)

Artemis Releases 2020 State of Indoor Farming Report

We are excited to release our third State of Indoor Farming report. Since their inception in 2016, the State of Indoor Farming reports have been downloaded by millions of people and used as a trusted resource on the industry.

The purpose of this report is to look at where the indoor agriculture industry is today as well as to give growers an industry voice around the latest trends, biggest challenges, and the immense opportunities in this rapidly expanding industry.

The report includes a high-level overview of the industry, as well as a deep dive on key topics such as expenses, sales channels, growth, cannabis, and projections for the future of the industry.

To learn more, you can access the report here.

You can also access our 2016 and 2017 State of Indoor Farming reports.

Ready to see how Artemis can help your operation?

Reach out to our team today. GET STARTED

Artemis, 718 The Hideout, Lake Ariel, PA 18436

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Polygreens Podcast Episode 21 - Dan Ovadya

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Dan Ovadya stumbled into his career passion growing super sweet Chandler strawberries in low-tech greenhouses on the Israel-Jordan border in 1991. That dusty summer was the start of his journey into agriculture and has since accumulated 30 years of experience with control environment crop production, research, and development.

Latest Episode

Vertical Farming Startup Oishii Raises $50m In Series A Funding

By Sian Yates

03/11/2021

Oishii, a vertical farming startup based in New Jersey, has raised $50 million during a Series A funding round led by Sparx Group’s Mirai Creation Fund II.

The funds will enable Oishii to open vertical strawberry farms in new markets, expand its flagship farm outside of Manhattan, and accelerate its investment in R&D.

“Our mission is to change the way we grow food. We set out to deliver exceptionally delicious and sustainable produce,” said Oishii CEO Hiroki Koga. “We started with the strawberry – a fruit that routinely tops the dirty dozen of most pesticide-riddled crops – as it has long been considered the ‘holy grail’ of vertical farming.”

“We aim to be the largest strawberry producer in the world, and this capital allows us to bring the best-tasting, healthiest berry to everyone. From there, we’ll quickly expand into new fruits and produce,” he added.

Oishii is already known for its innovative farming techniques that have enabled the company to “perfect the strawberry,” while its proprietary and first-of-its-kind pollination method is conducted naturally with bees.

The company’s vertical farms feature zero pesticides and produce ripe fruit all year round, using less water and land than traditional agricultural methods.

“Oishii is the farm of the future,” said Sparx Group president and Group CEO Shuhei Abe. “The cultivation and pollination techniques the company has developed set them well apart from the industry, positioning Oishii to quickly revolutionise agriculture as we know it.”

The company has raised a total of $55 million since its founding in 2016.

Little Leaf Farms Raises $90M to Grow Its Greenhouse Network

by Jennifer Marston

Image from: Little Leaf Farms

Massachusetts-based Little Leaf Farms has raised $90 million in a debt and equity financing round to expand its network of hydroponic greenhouses on the East Coast. The round was led by Equilibrium Capital as well as founding investors Bill Helman and Pilot House Associates. Bank of America also participated.

Little Leaf Farms says the capital is “earmarked” to build new greenhouse sites along the East Coast, where its lettuce is currently available in about 2,500 stores. 

The company already operates one 10-acre greenhouse in Devins, Massachusetts. Its facility grows leafy greens using hydroponics and a mixture of sunlight supplemented by LED-powered grow lights. Rainwater captured from the facility’s roof provides most of the water used on the farm. 

According to a press release, Little Leaf Farms has doubled its retail sales to $38 million since 2019. And last year, the company bought180 acres of land in Pennsylvania on which to build an additional facility. Still another greenhouse, slated for North Carolina, will serve the Southeast region of the U.S. 

Little Leaf Farms joins the likes of Revol Greens, Gotham Greens, AppHarvest, and others in bringing local(ish) greens to a greater percentage of the population. These facilities generally pack and ship their greens on the day of or day after harvesting, and only supply retailers within a certain radius. Little Leaf Farms, for example, currently servers only parts of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. 

The list of regions the company serves will no doubt lengthen as the company builds up its greenhouse network in the coming months.