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POLAND: The Only Way Is Up! Puławy Vertical Farm First In Europe To Supply Beauty And Health Industries With Plant Extract From Herbs
Vertigo Farms, located in the Puławy Science and Technology Park in the east of Poland grows 11, 000 plants on an area of 300 square metres using 4 metres high metal constructions resembling shelving units, a capacity which would require an area 100 times larger if using a traditional farm
BLANKA KONOPKA
APRIL 20, 2021
Established by the husband and wife team Anna and Dawid Drzewiecki after their observations of where different plant extracts came from in cosmetics and natural supplements, the company’s innovation is based on their unique form of production, combining the growth of plants and the production of extracts in one place.
An ‘experimental’ start-up has become the first in Europe to utilize a vertical farm to both grow herbs and produce plant extracts for the beauty, health, and pharmaceutical industries.
Vertigo Farms, located in the Puławy Science and Technology Park in the east of Poland grows 11, 000 plants on an area of 300 square metres using 4 metres high metal constructions resembling shelving units, a capacity which would require an area 100 times larger if using a traditional farm.
Vertigo Farms grows 11, 000 plants on an area of 300 square metres using 4 metres high metal constructions resembling shelving units, a capacity which would require an area 100 times larger if using a traditional farm. CC BY 4.0
Established by husband and wife team Anna and Dawid Drzewiecki after their observations of where different plant extracts came from in cosmetics and natural supplements, the company’s innovation is based on their focus on vertical farming for the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry as well as their unique form of production, combining the growth of plants and the production of extracts in one place.
The two-processes of growth and production have hitherto been separate in other companies in the same field, with sites often large distances apart.
Dawid Drzewiecki told Puls Biznesu: “Our idea was to shorten the supply chain and make it independent of logistics.
The process starts from seeds which are first kept under lamps and with constant access to water before they sprout.Vertigo Farms/Facebook
“These needs were strongly highlighted by the pandemic. Last year, there were delays in production due to difficulties in transport due to closed borders.
“More importantly, climate change is more often disrupting the production of plants, which our method of cultivation enables us to avoid.”
The farm, which is the only vertical farm in Poland focusing on delivery to the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry, currently produces three plant types: basil, coriander and bakuchi, the latter being a herb from Asia often used as a substitute of retinol, a popular ingredient used in anti-ageing and acne creams.
Plants are grown under violet lamps with the continual monitoring of various indicators.Vertigo Farms/Facebook
The process starts from seeds which are first kept under lamps and with constant access to water before they sprout when they are transferred to the 4m units whose shelves are comprised of gutters with peat plant pots where plants are grown under violet lamps with the continual monitoring of various indicators.
The plants are then picked, dried, and passed through a machine to extract extracts from them for use in creams, oils, and dietary supplements. The whole process requires the service of just four people.
The ambitious company, which sees themselves as filling a niche due to the small number of companies producing plant extracts for the cosmetics, health, and pharma sectors, has big expansion plans.
The oil from plants grown on vertical farms.Vertigo Farms/Facebook
Earlier this year, it signed an important deal for innovative vertical farming technology with a leading Finnish company specialising in the building of vertical farms.
The technology will enable the company to experiment with tropical plants and to grow a wider variety of herbs.
Their aim is to expand to 10-20 plant types by 2022-2023.
TAGS: TECHNOLOGY, START-UP, STARTUP, HERBS, PHARMACY, PLANTS, FARM, VERTICAL FARM, VERTIGO FARMS, DAWID DRZEWIECKI, ANNA DRZEWIECKA
A Focus On New Kinds of Vertical Farming Applications
“At Vertigo Farms, we believe that vertical farming serves the future not only for direct consumption purposes but it may also serve as a base for highest quality natural extracts for food, cosmetics and pharma industries”, comments Dawid Drzewiecki, the CEO of Vertigo Farms.
Netled Partners Up With Agritech Start-Up Vertigo Farms
Netled and a Polish agritech start-up, Vertigo Farms have announced a new technology partnership. Vertigo Farms will use Netled’s Vera vertical farming technology in its indoor growing projects. The collaboration has already started, and the goal is to have the first plants growing at the beginning of 2021.
Vertigo Farms is the first publicly known European actor to produce natural extracts from plants grown indoors. Mainly herbs are grown and processed in a sustainable manner with no use of chemicals, all-year-round, regardless of weather conditions.
“At Vertigo Farms, we believe that vertical farming serves the future not only for direct consumption purposes but it may also serve as a base for highest quality natural extracts for food, cosmetics and pharma industries”, comments Dawid Drzewiecki, the CEO of Vertigo Farms.
The company works with research laboratories and universities to develop methods for optimal conditions and nutrition of plants to boost their growth. Each type of plant requires a different approach. For start, the company will experiment with Safflower, Lovage, and Opium poppy, but there will be more species along the way.
Niko Kivioja, CEO of Netled, comments the newly formed partnership: “Vertigo Farms has a very interesting approach to produce natural extracts. Netled is proud to be Vertigo’s technology partner. In addition to this, our crop specialist team is especially excited to have insight into the new, more exotic plants growing in a vertical farming environment. Globally, we see massive opportunities to produce crops which have very high-quality standards in vertical farms, alongside the more common leafy greens.”
The mission of Vertigo Farms is to process and deliver the highest quality natural ingredients with the use of state-of-the-art solutions. Thus, the goal is a great fit with Netled, as the company aims to provide the best technology, expertise, and guidance for vertical farming projects and actors all around the globe.
Read more about Netled’s Vera® Vertical Farm: https://netled.fi/vertical-farming-vera/
Read more about Vertigo Farms: http://vertigofarms.eu/
26th August 2020 by johannak
For more information:
Netled
netled.fi