iGrow News, Badia Farm Interview With CEO, Omar Al Jundi

Content Contributor to iGrow News: Scott Massey

Omar Al Jundi decided to not only tackle a national issue but also to independently finance it. Why?

    Omar grew up in Saudi Arabia eating food predominantly from elsewhere; produce grown in other countries was imported into the desert, where growing conditions were harsh or impossible. Only through travels to the USA and Europe, did Omar experience the taste of fresh produce that had not lost its flavor and quality through extensive travel, handling, and preservatives.  These experiences inspired him to find ways to grow produce indoors using Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) to make fresh produce available to customers. 

Today, Omar is the current CEO and Founder of Badia Farms in Dubai. Badia Farms is the first Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) commercial vertical indoor farm, using innovative hydroponic technology to grow leafy greens. The company’s vision is to revolutionize the agricultural industry in the Middle East; to provide a sustainable solution for the region’s dependence on food imports and ultimately to safeguard food security in a country that currently imports more than 80% of its food requirements. 

Traditionally, “locally grown in Dubai (or in any GCC country for that matter)” has not been synonymous with quality. Despite this deeply ingrained notion, Omar was able to secure early client interest and orders by inviting hotel managers and chefs to taste the quality of the produce at Badia Farms. Six months post-launch, Badia Farms is now supplying to 75 restaurants, including Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi, Emirates Palace, Tashas, Fairmont the Palm, and will be available in supermarkets and directly to the consumer by Q2 2019. The company anticipates being more affordable than imported produce as there is no product deterioration due to travel, and as demands increase, production costs will also fall over time.

        Badia Farms is also led by fourth-generation British horticultural expert Grahame Dunling. Equipped with state of the art bespoke-spectrum LED lighting, the highly controlled environment uses the most advanced hydroponic technology, chemical free, soil-free, nutrient-rich base to grow a product range of optimal quality, flavor, and yield. The sustainable eco-system created at Badia Farms uses 90 percent less water than in open field farming, energy efficient and is pesticide free. Indoor, controlled agriculture also removes a majority of the variables that could lead to food contamination that frequently plagues field grown produce.

This revolutionary approach to address food security in the Middle East has not gone without notice. Badia Farms is now engaged by both local and international entities; private, governmental and non-profit organizations to share insights and developments in the agricultural industry and how it can bring about regional food supply stability and aid environmental conservation on both national and global scale.

“They believe this is the way forward, and want to promote it”, says Al Jundi. “We do not get food security without water security. It is true that our underground aquifers have been depleted over the years. To make matters worse, as a region, we have one of the highest consumption rates of water in the entire world.”

“We had to overcome many obstacles to make the system as automated as possible. We are profitable without any government subsidies. We currently draw our power from the grid, but are working towards solar to make it a fully sustainable solution from A to Z.” 

       Now that the commercial success has been proven through Badia Farm’s output yields, a second Badia Farm, which will be located in Saudi Arabia, is in its’ design phase. While success leads to expansion, being the first in the industry has, of course, presented challenges; a key one being how to finance such an initiative. Being first isn’t always compatible with the banks’ risk management and they are naturally skeptical. As such, Omar financed Badia Farms independently; a challenge that sets limits in itself, but a blessing as these limits have ensured the business is running as efficiently, creatively and resourcefully as possible. 

Inevitably, Badia Farms and vertical farming, in general, have caught the attention of many, and Badia Farms will soon be joined by healthy competition in the region.  However, Omar will forever remain the region’s pioneer; one that personally addressed and funded the issue of our food traveling an average of 3000 miles to get to our plate. 

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