Welcome to iGrow News, Your Source for the World of Indoor Vertical Farming
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: This Vertical Farm Was Born In The Pandemic. Sales Are Up
The Vegetable Co. in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, grows vegetables under LED lights in a shipping container. “We were a nascent product in an uncertain market,” one of its founders said
The Vegetable Co. in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, grows vegetables under LED lights in a shipping container. “We were a nascent product in an uncertain market,” one of its founders said.Credit...Ian Teh for The New York Times
The Vegetable Co. Sits In A Shipping Container On The Edge of A Malaysian Parking Lot. It’s One of Many Small Farms Around The World Selling Directly To Consumers.
By Ian Teh and Mike Ives
Sept. 3, 2020
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The setup of the two friends’ agricultural venture was unusual. Their farm sat next to a gas station, inside a shipping container where the plants grew in vertically stacked shelves. And the timing of their first sales — during the early days of Malaysia’s coronavirus outbreak — seemed less than ideal.
“We were a nascent product in an uncertain market,” said Shawn Ng, 28, a co-founder of the vertical farm, the Vegetable Co. “We weren’t too sure if it would take off.”
“But somehow,” he added, “the market kind of played in our favor. ”As in-person shopping wanes during the pandemic, Mr. Ng’s Malaysia-based operation is one of many small farms around the world that are selling fresh produce directly to consumers in ways that bypass brick-and-mortar grocery stores.
Some farms sell on e-commerce platforms like Amazon or Lazada, Alibaba’s online emporium for Southeast Asia, or through smaller ones like Harvie, a Pennsylvania-based website that connects consumers with individual farms across the United States and Canada.
ImageShawn Ng, one of the Vegetable Co.’s founders, loaded freshly harvested produce into a car for delivery.Credit...Ian Teh for The New York Times
Others, like the Vegetable Co., sell directly to customers. “I was very ‘kan cheong’ during the lockdown period,” said one of Mr. Ng’s regular customers, Ayu Samsudin, using a Cantonese word for anxious. “Having fresh vegetables delivered to your doorstep was such a relief.”
The Vegetable Co. consists of a 320-square-foot shipping container on the edge of a parking lot in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s largest city. It opened for business, with just a handful of customers, about a month before the country’s restrictive lockdown took effect in mid-March.
Revenue grew by 300 percent in the first few weeks, and the shipping container is now approaching production capacity because of high demand, said Mr. Ng’s business partner, Sha G.P.Apart from the gas station, the shipping container’s other neighbors are a driving range and an oil palm plantation. Inside, tightly packed shelves with hydroponic lettuce, sprouts and other vegetables grow under LED lights.
Mr. Ng on a delivery run in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia has weathered the pandemic relatively well, at least compared with other Southeast Asian countries.Credit...Ian Teh for The New York Times
The wallpaper outside the growing chamber shows blue sky and clouds, evoking the view from an old-fashioned farm. But employees pace the chamber’s narrow corridor wearing rubber gloves, surgical masks and white lab coats, as if it were a hospital ward.
The founders have scant experience with traditional farming, and they speak about their work with Silicon Valley-like jargon.
Mr. Sha, who has a master’s degree in management, said he first became interested in vertical farming after watching “The Martian,” the 2015 film in which an American astronaut played by Matt Damon is stranded on Mars and learns to grow his own food.
“I was lost in awe about the degree of precision in the technology along with the elegance of the solution to grow vegetables in a zero-gravity environment,” he said. “Since then, I have gone down the rabbit hole of independent research.”
Gudrun Olafsdottir, a Kuala Lumpur resident from Iceland, said the Vegetable Co. was one of the local businesses she was supporting with a “financial hug” during the pandemic.Credit...Ian Teh for The New York Times
The coronavirus took off in Malaysia in March, after an Islamic revivalist group’s gathering there became one of the pandemic’s biggest vectors in Southeast Asia. Since then, the country of about 32 million has weathered the outbreak relatively well, at least compared with some of its neighbors. As of Thursday, it had reported fewer than 10,000 confirmed cases since the pandemic began, according to a New York Times database.
Malaysia’s initial lockdown allowed only one person per household to go outside for essential errands, and the police enforced local travel restrictions with roadblocks.
But even though the rules were gradually loosened to let most businesses reopen, many urban Malaysians have maintained the online shopping habits they developed during the initial lockdown, said Audrey Goo, the founder of MyFishman, an e-commerce platform that connects fishermen from villages along the country’s west coast with consumers in Kuala Lumpur.
Gudrun Olafsdottir, a Kuala Lumpur resident from Iceland, said the Vegetable Co. was one of the local businesses she was supporting with a “financial hug” during the pandemic.Credit...Ian Teh for The New York Times
“Not many end users are willing to go back to the wet market,” said Ms. Goo, adding that her company’s sales had roughly doubled during the pandemic. “So I think the whole business model will continue to change.”
Mr. Ng said the Vegetable Co.’s parent company, Future Farms, was now seeking seed capital to finance an expansion into a larger facility. He recently hired an architect and a software developer to design it. For now, though, the operation remains modest. On a recent afternoon, Mr. Ng climbed into his car for a delivery run that snaked through low-rise residential neighborhoods, as the sun sank below Kuala Lumpur’s hazy downtown skyline.
One of the customers on the 40-plus-mile route, Gudrun Olafsdottir, said that along with yoga and meditation, greens from the Vegetable Co. were part of a routine that helped her keep physically and mentally fit during the pandemic.
Ms. Olafsdottir, who is from Iceland and works in retail, found the farm on Facebook through a local chef who specializes in raw and vegan cooking. She said it was one of several local businesses that she was supporting these days with a “financial hug.”
“I think that we could do so many things to support those in need if we just consciously choose how we spend our time and money,” she has written on her blog. “A hug and a squeeze.”
The farm is in a 320-square-foot shipping container near a gas station, a driving range and an oil palm plantation.Credit...Ian Teh for The New York Times
Ian Teh reported from Kuala Lumpur and Mike Ives from Hong Kong.
Bowery Farming Wants To Make Lettuce Safe, Smart And Tasty
Grown indoors, lettuces, greens and herbs are non-GMO, free from pesticides “and grown with complete transparency,” says Katie Seawell, Chief Marketing Officer
August 12, 2020
For decades, consumers have been on a quest for cleaner, safer produce — and agricultural methods that are good for both the palate and the planet.
Bowery Farming, the New York-based indoor farming start-up, thinks it’s mastered the recipe, especially given increasing safety concerns.
Grown indoors, lettuces, greens, and herbs are non-GMO, free from pesticides “and grown with complete transparency,” says Katie Seawell, Chief Marketing Officer. “We are deeply committed to increasing access to high-quality delicious food. We’re going to build an enduring brand — we hope a generational brand — that emotionally connects with consumers.”
Its main selling point? “Our produce tastes better, too, and that means a lot to our core audience.”
At present, the vast majority of produce isn’t branded, “and highly commoditized, not unlike coffee used to be,” she says. “I spent 15 years at Starbucks before joining Bowery a year ago, and I see a lot of similarities. Starbucks is a very mission-driven company, and so is Bowery. We are committed to disrupting the food-supply vision. And through technology, we want people to think differently about how we grow the food we eat.”
Currently, Bowery is selling its products in retail chains such as Walmart, Giant, and Whole Foods Market. It’s also available on Amazon Fresh and believes e-commerce will be one of its biggest sources of growth. “It’s a great cross-section of retailers, and part of our goal-to democratize access to our produce.”
Seawell says it is preparing ads set to break later this year, based on consumer research that uncovered ongoing concerns about widespread lettuce recalls for problems like E. coli and Cyclospora infections.
Mustache is the ad agency, and it also worked with Red Antler for a brand refresh and a new website.
Seawell says the pandemic has also intensified interest in safer, healthier foods. It’s also accelerated awareness of America’s gaping inequalities and inefficiencies in the food system.
So far, Bowery has two farms in Kearny, New Jersey, and the a outside of Baltimore. With its modular technology, it hopes to expand soon. Providing fresh food for underserved communities is also part of its mission, which translates into partnerships with nonprofits, including DC Central Kitchen and Table to Table.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled CMO Paula Seawell’s name, as well as the location of two of its farms. They are in Kearny, New Jersey.
Bowery Farming Debuts New Lettuce Variety
Bowery Farming, per a press release, announced its newest leafy greens launch, Bowery Crispy Leaf Lettuce (Crispy Leaf). A reinvigorated version of iceberg lettuce that is refreshing and simple, Crispy Leaf boasts a bold color and satisfying crunch
Posted by Chris Manning | June 3, 2020 | Produce Grower
Bowery Farming, per a press release, announced its newest leafy greens launch, Bowery Crispy Leaf Lettuce (Crispy Leaf). A reinvigorated version of iceberg lettuce that is refreshing and simple, Crispy Leaf boasts a bold color and satisfying crunch. The much-anticipated product, which goes from harvest to shelf in just a few days, will be available in the produce aisle at over 250 grocery stores and specialty markets in the Tri-State area and Mid-Atlantic region beginning in June 2020. Crispy Leaf will also be available through Bowery’s online partners, including Amazon Fresh, Peapod and Hungryroot.
"With unparalleled flavor and crunch in every bite, we're confident that Crispy Leaf has the potential to disrupt the traditional iceberg market," said Carmela Cugini, EVP of Sales, Bowery Farming. “Crispy Leaf is one of the most in-demand leafy greens from Bowery based on current retailer orders. We've had to ramp up production to meet retail demand,” continued Cugini. “Early feedback from buyers indicates Crispy Leaf is poised to change the way consumers interact with lettuce by introducing a completely new sensory experience to the category."
Crispy Leaf is grown locally at Bowery’s commercial farms in Kearny, New Jersey, and White Marsh, Maryland, and has zero pesticides. The mild and versatile green is the ideal base for salads and grain bowls and serves well as a culinary garnish.
