UAE: Vertical Farming Firm Reveals Plan To Launch Healthy Food Brand
23 Dec 2020
Sarya Holdings Says Fit Farm Will
Hit Supermarket Shelves In The First Quarter of 2021
Fit Farm will offer healthy and all-natural foods that can be prepared on the go Sara Holdings, the company which recently launched the UAE’s latest hydroponic vertical farming concept, Smart Acres, has revealed global expansion plans in 2021 which include the launch of a healthy food line.
Fit Farm is set to hit the supermarket shelves in the first quarter of next year, the company's CEO Abdulla Al Kaabi said.
Launched in 2017 by two long-time friends and entrepreneurs, Al Kaabi and Sean Lee, Sarya Holdings initially began as a general trading business with an emphasis on fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) with the aim to bring quality foreign products to the GCC market.
Sarya General Trading houses popular South Korean brands and has partnered with over 10 South Korean brands to strengthen the import and distribution of its products to the GCC.
New partnerships have also been inked with brands from Japan, India, Mexico, and the Philippines for 2021 while the company is now planning to launch its own brand called Fit Farm.
Sowing the seeds to improve UAE's food security
Set to launch in Q1 2021, Fit Farm will offer healthy and all-natural foods that can be prepared on the go. While the company plans to introduce a full range of healthy and nutritious food products, its initial food offering will include a wide selection of ready-to-eat chicken products.
Al Kaabi said: “Our mission with Fit Farm is to empower the people through accessible cuisine driven by healthy lifestyle choices and connecting them with readily-available healthy foods."
Smart Acres is based at the Armed Forces Officer’s Club in Abu Dhabi and is a hydroponic vertical farm, which aims to enhance food security.
In collaboration with n.thing, a South Korean vertical farming technology company, Smart Acres has been able to design farm modules using an IoT-based technology system to grow and monitor their produce, a system that not only consumes less resources but generates ultra-high quality crops.
The company is producing a variety of lettuce and herbs such as Green Glace, Oakleaf, Lollo Rosso, and Shiso, with plans to eventually grow baby spinach, mature spinach, and baby arugula.
Smart Acres’ vision is to expand to meet the demand of popular produce in the region such as strawberries, with a shift and emphasis on cultivating potato seeds.