CANADA: Local Leaf Farms To Open Vertical Farming Site In Kingston

View fullsize

August 4, 2020, Jessica Foley

View fullsize

Credit: localleaffarms.com

Purchasing local produce will become easier year-round after Local Leaf Farms opens their newest vertical farming site on Innovation Drive. Their innovative take on farming removes the need for a lot of land, and our Canadian dependency on weather.

Local Leaf Farms is on a mission to change the way food is produced and distributed in Canada, growing superior quality food that’s safer, fresher, and more sustainable. Using vertical farming technology first invented by NASA, they are able to provide Canadians with pesticide and herbicide-free, hyper-local produce (grown within the city it is sold) year-round. With a model that has them delivering the product directly to store shelves within hours of harvest, they ensure maximal freshness of the product, while reducing both food waste and the carbon footprint of transportation.

Packed in 100% plastic-free, compostable containers, their innovative technology provides retailers & consumers with a fully traceable food source, via a QR code on the package, that allows instant access to all details about how the product in a specific package was grown, when and by whom.

Kingston Economic Development and the City of Kingston are pleased to welcome this new business to our community in the St. Lawrence Business Park. “I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Local Leaf Farms to Kingston,” says Mayor Paterson. “This is a company that brings an exciting and innovative approach to local food that will bring great benefits to our residents, and will further position Kingston as a leader in food security and sustainability.”

The Local Leaf facility will be located in a new development at 800 Innovation Drive and is anticipated to open in late October of this year. This business is a $450,000 investment in the Kingston community in terms of start-up costs and is expected to create seven (7) full-time jobs locally.

“We’re proud to have Local Leaf Farms joining the innovative businesses that will be sharing one roof at 800 Innovation Drive when it opens this fall,” says Ben Pilon, President of BPE Group. “Their focus on sustainability and food security aligns nicely with our business philosophy, making this agreement a natural fit. With tenants like Local Leaf, 800 Innovation Drive, will see job creation, strengthen our local economy, and show the world that good things grow in Ontario.”

“As we scale to build 20 production facilities across the country by 2025, Kingston was an obvious choice. As a gateway to eastern Ontario, Kingston represents the perfect mix of a City whose municipal government understands the importance of both innovation and the food sector, an Economic Development Office that is exceptional in supporting out of town businesses in their relocation and a community that values sustainable, quality food products. It was an obvious choice that we are excited to commence upon,” says Steve Jones, President, and CEO of Local Leaf Farms.

“We are excited that Local Leaf Farms selected Kingston as a new site for their 7,000 sq. ft. facility. Their business mission aligns with the City of Kingston’s vision for innovation, entrepreneurship, and food security making it a great fit in the community,” says Shelley Hirstwood, Business Development Officer, Attraction & Aftercare with Kingston Economic Development Corporation. “The Kingston Economic Development team is looking forward to continuing to work with Local Leaf Farms as they became established.”

While you’re here …

…Can we take two minutes of your time?

More Kingstonians than ever are relying on Kingstonist for their local news. But we need your help to keep it going.

A few years ago, two big media conglomerates, Torstar and Postmedia, “swapped assets” and promptly shuttered one of Kingston’s main newspapers. We saw talented journalists displaced and years of recorded Kingston history destroyed by a decision made in another city, with interests not grounded in what was best for the Kingston community.

And we resolved that we would not permit that to happen again.

That’s when we decided to take the Kingstonist, at that time a popular Kingston community blog, and reimagine it as the dedicated, independent local news provider you see now.

Today, businesses everywhere are struggling under the burdens of COVID-19, and we are no different. So we’re asking you to support us.  Help us in our mission to: hold our local governments accountable; provide voices for those fighting against social injustice; fight against misinformation; and provide news not censored by the influence of corporate bias.

We believe that access to news is an integral component of a healthy community. If you believe the same, click here to subscribe to Kingstonist.

Are Automated Indoor Growing Facilities The Future For Fresh Produce?

CEA-Lite is an online debate on precisely that question,

taking place on 10th Sept. 

Agri-TechE bring together Controlled Environment Agriculture technologists, producers and investors to discuss the current landscape and promising developments

Can growing veg in urban units scale up to meet demand, or is vertical farming a cottage industry focussed on leafy greens? Interest in Controlled Environment Agriculture is increasing internationally. In the UK autonomous growing systems have attracted funding from the Government’s Transforming Food Production program and tens of millions are being invested in a new training and demonstration facility; but the industry still has many challenges.

View fullsize

Agri-TechE is hosting an event “CEA-lite”, which is discussing the drivers for innovation and investment with leading entrepreneurs, producers, and investors on 10th September 2020.

Are new business models emerging?

Dr Belinda Clarke, Director of Agri-TechE says new models of food production are gaining traction. “Year-round intensive cropping of high-value crops becomes economically viable if the technology can scale. The Transforming Food Production call focussed on big, inspirational projects and this will help de-risk the technology, particularly around automating the monitoring and harvesting, which are so problematic for open field production.” 

Jock Richardson of Growpura agrees: “A lot of operators have some great technology but to grow bigger means a linear (or worse) growth in costs. Scale-up is vital but there are operational challenges of how we grow plants at scale and at low cost.”

Could scaled-up vertical farms create economic value in vacant retail units?

“I have seen repurposing of buildings for CEA but location remains vitally important”, says Investor Kiryon Skippen of Capital Agri International, “landlords of these buildings need to be realistic in their rent demands and preferably have a real interest in the vertical farming business and work with it, taking the longer term view.”

Jock has seen uplift in interest in localised crop production, but as their system requires cleanroom conditions, refitting an older building could be too costly. “We’ve been talking to major retailers and its clear there is real interest in the use of hydroponics (growing in water) to fulfil the demand for fresh produce but of course it has to be at a competitive cost and offer a reliable supply,” he says.

The company will announce funding for a large training and demonstration facility in the coming days, which may provide over 200 jobs and internships in the South East Midlands area. “A vibrant hydroponics industry is essential in the UK. On the licensing front there has been interest from a number of countries particularly in the UAE and Asia and also for non-food products which we are progressing keenly,” Jock continues.

Can the industry look beyond leafy greens?

This international interest is a trend David Farquar, of Intelligent Growth Solutions, has also seen. He says; “Interest from NW Europe, the Middle East, and SE Asia is increasing the diversity of the food grown under secure conditions to reflect local diets and cuisine; encouraging the CEA industry to look beyond leafy greens and salads.  For example, we have seen more demand for roots and fruits over recent months and interest in re-localizing as much of the food supply chain as possible.”

View fullsize

Phytoponics has recently raised £0.5M to develop its next-generation deep-water culture modules that offer a sustainable more profitable alternative to hydroponics substrates, such as rock wool and coir, and the company has started a series of strawberry trials with Total Produce. CEO Andy Jones, says the funding environment is challenging but that investment is there for companies with the right solutions.  

He continues: “For growers, costs remain the big issue and one of the biggest is labor. New approaches need to give growers an economic advantage by reducing those costs.” 

Are we swapping a labor shortage for a skills shortage?

However Max McGavillray of Redfox Executive says Brexit, and then COVID-19, has resulted in a marked increase in protected cropping roles as the UK adapts to a new normal: “We’re seeing individuals with plenty of cash establishing vertical farms but with very little experience in agriculture and foods, so there’s a real need for those with growth expertise in controlled environment agriculture.”

CEA Lite is an online event being held

on 10th September 2020 15:00 – 17:00.

Register your interest at bit.ly/ATEeEvents

About Agri-TechE – www.agri-tech-e.co.uk

Agri-TechE is a business-focused membership organization that is supporting the growth of a vibrant agri-tech cluster of innovative farmers, food producers and processors, scientists, technologists, and entrepreneurs.

Agri-TechE brings together organizations and individuals that share a passion for improving the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of agriculture. It aims to help turn challenges into business opportunities and facilitate mutually beneficial collaboration.

Photos:

1 – Credit: Growpura / Caption: Growpura is set to create a hydroponic farm, training and demonstration facility in Bedford, UK

2 – Credit: IGS / Caption: IGS has seen more demand for root vegetables and fruits in recent months as vertically farmed crops diversify

3 – Credit: IGS / Caption: Phytoponics has recently won funding and is undertaking commercial trials of its deep-water hydroponics modules