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Venture Funding Supports Urban Farming Start-Up
Venture Funding Supports Urban Farming Start-Up
23 May 2018 Yorkshire Business
Growing Better, a Leeds-based social enterprise that provides urban farming for better mental health, has secured up to £10,000 in AD:VENTURE start-up and growth grants.
The business was founded by Rob Moores in 2016 and initially used polytunnels to grow baby leaf salads leaves and herbs.
When it was decided that this model would not provide a commercially sustainable year-round supply to local restaurants and food outlets, crowdfunding was secured for an indoor hydroponic vertical farm.
Growing Better received advice, guidance and support through the AD:VENTURE programme to put in place a plan that would focus on future growth.
Since the funding was awarded, the company has taken on a new full-time member of staff, expanded its offering to provide growing kits for consumers and has also extended its engagement with schools.
Rob Moores said: "Accessing practical support from AD:VENTURE allowed us to build up our business plan and in turn to consider other options. We realised that we had the potential, with funding support, to commit to appointing three new members to the team over 2018.This in turn would allow us to support more people and to grow the business using the contributions made by AD:VENTURE as cash flow.
"Knowing that we have a business model in place that we could scale up was great. As well as working with an increasing number of people that have mental health illnesses, we have also started to supply several restaurants, which in turn gives us the funds to put back into the business."
Thrive Agritech Secures $2 Million Capital Injection
The latest investment round, led by New York-based Rose Capital, accelerates the LED lighting company's unique lighting technology into the global horticulture market.
May 22, 2018
Thrive Agritech, Inc., a technology company focused on leading innovations in LED horticulture lighting, has announced that it has received an additional $2 million in equity capital to accelerate the development and deployment of its LED technology in controlled environment agriculture. The investment round was led by Rose Capital, a New York-based institutional investor. In conjunction with the investment round, Rose Capital has also joined Thrive’s Board of Directors.
The financing round–and new partnership with Rose Capital–follows an exceptional year for Thrive Agritech, which saw a rapidly expanding customer base with lighting installations in greenhouses, vertical farms and cannabis production facilities across North America.
Rose Capital noted, “We are excited about this investment based on the extraordinary customer adoption that Thrive has experienced since its first product launch in 2015. Thrive has established a successful track record of commercializing best-in-class LED lighting products–having launched a new product every year since the company’s inception. We look forward to partnering with Thrive to continue to break down traditional industry barriers and commercialize some of the most innovative products in the global horticultural market.”
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that food production must increase by 70 percent over the next forty years to satisfy increasing demand. The total market in North America for LED lighting solutions for greenhouses is expected to grow from 2.5 million square feet in 2015 to more than 50 million square feet in 2021. In response to these trends, companies like Thrive are introducing high output lighting solutions to change the efficiency dynamic for global growers.
“Our biggest challenge today is responding to the overwhelming number of opportunities with which we are being confronted,” said Thrive Agritech CEO Brian Bennett. “As we close this investment round, we will be aggressively hiring sales, marketing and operations support and leveraging Rose Capital’s expertise, to exceed the expectations of our customers and further develop our product portfolio and core technologies. Additionally, we will be expanding operations into Europe to capture growth in the emerging greenhouse supplemental lighting market.”
Thrive Agritech was founded at the Y Combinator accelerator in Silicon Valley, with a mission to enhance sustainability for controlled environment agriculture. The company’s industry-leading energy efficient lighting products have already made significant reductions in the carbon footprint from older lighting technologies. Further, all Thrive Agritech products have an optimized horticulture light spectrum, high reliability, and most importantly improve efficiency and longevity of horticultural crop growth.
BIGH Raises €4.3m For Largest Urban Rooftop Farm In Europe
BIGH Raises €4.3m For Largest Urban Rooftop Farm In Europe
MAY 16, 2018 LOUISA BURWOOD-TAYLOR
BIGH (Building Integrated Greenhouses), a startup based in Brussels, Belgium, has opened its first aquaponic farm on a site spanning 4,000 meters squared above a food hall in the center of the city.
The startup, a developer and operator of urban farms in aquaponics, raised €4.3 million ($5.1 million) from a range of investors to fund the construction of a series of aquaponic farms in the heart of major European cities. They include a group of individuals from the banking, construction and architecture sectors via LTFD, real estate company Fidentia Green Buildings, the public investment vehicle of the Brussels region Finance. Brussels, and aquaponic farm operator and builder from Berlin ECF.
The largest urban rooftop in Europe, according to BIGH, “Ferme Abbattoir” includes 2,000 meters squared of horticultural greenhouses and connected fish farm, as well as 2,000 meters squared of outdoor vegetable gardens. The farm, which was constructed on the roof of the Foodmet market hall on a historical Abattoir site in Brussels, was partially funded by BIGH’s equity financing, and partly in a debt facility from BNP Paribas Fortis bank.
BIGH’s founder, the architect Steven Beckers, is a circular economy proponent, and so the farm captures heat from the slaughterhouses below while offering refrigeration to the Foodmet’s butchers and retailers’ cold rooms. The pump is supplemented by a gas heating device providing CO2 for photosynthesis support during the day as will the main gas heater of the Foodmet, in time.
The farm also aims for minimal reliance on mains water through filtered rainwater storage and well water top-up and its electricity consumption is partially compensated by the Abattoir’s solar panels.
“BIGH is a strong demonstration of the economically profitable circular economy, whose healthy, transparent, quality and local food production is in symbiosis with the urban environment. The city becomes a solution if the search for positive impact is made at all levels: energy, water, air quality, biodiversity, material resources, etc. while creating employment. The BIGH model is also beneficial for real estate, increasing property values,” said Beckers in a statement.
BIGH expects to produce 35 tonnes of striped bass a year and uses an aquaponics system with two closed loops. This means that while 3-5% of the fish water is removed to feed the crops, that water does not circulate back to the fish section. Instead, it is replaced with groundwater or rainwater, David Norris, project manager at BIGH told AgFudnerNews. The benefits of this system include the ability to shut down one system independently of the other which is helpful for cleaning purposes as well as security. The PH levels can be different in each system and therefore optimized instead of compromising, he added.
BIGH expects to announce the site of its next farm imminently.
Related Stories
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- Agtech Funding Sheet: Agersens Raises $2m for Fenceless Farming Tech, Ecoation’s Disease Detection Tool Raises $1m, more
- Indoor Farms: Where Venture Capital Doesn’t Always Make Sense
- Agtech Funding (& Exit) Sheet: Observant Acquired by Jain, Winnow Solutions Raises Convertible, more
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Whole Foods Local Producer Program Helps Microgreens Producer
Whole Foods Market will award an $80,000 loan to Greenbelt Microgreens as part of the grocer's Local Producer Loan Program, which grants low-interest loans to growing local artisans, farmers, and producers.
Whole Foods Local Producer Program Helps Microgreens Producer
APRIL 05, 2018
Whole Foods Market will award an $80,000 loan to Greenbelt Microgreens as part of the grocer's Local Producer Loan Program, which grants low-interest loans to growing local artisans, farmers, and producers.
Greenbelt Microgreens, a certified organic greenhouse grower of soil-based microgreens, grows year-round locally in British Columbia, Ontario and New York state, and plans to utilize the loan to expand its packing and cold storage space at its greenhouse in Maple Ridge, BC.
The organic microgreens, which include arugula, pea shoots, sunflowers, broccoli, and radishes, are early-stage vegetables that have a delicious flavor profile and a very high nutrient density because of their young age (10-14 days).
“Our commitment to local farms and artisan producers drives our ability to offer new and interesting products to our customers that are local to their region,” said Denise Breyley, local forager for the Pacific Northwest and western Canada. “These relationships give us the opportunity to seek out the best products, while also giving local farmers and food artisans the tools and guidance to help them grow their business.”
Whole Foods Market North Vancouver, opening on April 26, will also feature a strong selection of local and regional products.
Whole Foods Market is committed to the concept of fresh, healthy, local foods, and supporting both local products and the people who supply them. Loan recipients must meet Whole Foods Market’s quality standards, use the funds for expansion and have a viable business plan. Typical loans range from $1,000 to $100,000 and have fixed low-interest rates.
Previous recipients have used their loans for purchasing more livestock, investing in new equipment, expanding production facilities, adapting to more sustainable practices or converting to organic production. The Greenbelt Microgreens loan will be the sixth for small business owners in British Columbia, for a total of over $400,000. Overall, more than $2 million has been distributed to recipients in the Pacific Northwest.
Taiwan To Invest £18m In UK To Build New Vertical Farm
Taiwan To Invest £18m In UK To Build New Vertical Farm
18 April 2018
The Taiwan-based company hopes to bring the British public "fresh and pesticide-free products"
Taiwan has chosen the UK to be the home of a new £18 million vertical farming business, with hopes it will bring the next generation of food production to UK shores. Agritech company YesHealth Biotechnology will set up its European base in York, hoping to provide local consumers with "fresh and pesticide-free products".The Taiwan-based company already operates a 14-storey vertical farm in Taoyuan City, and now plans to establish a new facility at the National Agri-Food Innovation Campus (NAFIC) in York over the next two years.Winston Tsai, President of YesHealth iFarm said the UK is the "obvious choice" to be the location for its new farm."YesHealth Group has proven that vertical farming is a profitable business that can create new jobs in a farming industry that is finding it increasingly challenging to attract young workers," Mr Tsai said.
"The vertical farming industry in the United Kingdom is still developing; and this, together with attractive market conditions, makes the United Kingdom an obvious choice for YesHealth Group."We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to the British government for their support towards making this a reality."Artificial controlVertical farming is the process of producing food on vertically stacked layers indoors. It is commercially viable through reduced power and labour costs.The modern ideas of vertical farming use indoor farming techniques and controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) technology, where all environmental factors can be controlled.These facilities utilise artificial control of light and environmental control, such as humidity, temperature and gases.China is seen as one of the innovators in the urban farming industry. Shanghai is currently planning a 250-acre agricultural district, which will function as a space to work, live, shop, and farm food.
In the UK, sitting 33 meters underneath the busy streets of Clapham, a disused air raid shelter from the Second World War is currently producing sustainable and fresh produce using urban farming methods.
She Saw Her Family Lose Its Farm, So She Became An Attorney To Advocate For Small Farmers
MARCH 14, 2018
She Saw Her Family Lose Its Farm, So She Became An Attorney To Advocate For Small Farmers
Renewal Awards finalist F.A.R.M.S. helps aging farmers and farmers of color keep their small businesses in the family
MARGARET MYERS
Jillian Hishaw is an attorney specializing in agricultural law and the founder of the nonprofit F.A.R.M.S. Photo via video by Meg Sullivan/Clif Bar Family Foundation
Jillian Hishaw has dedicated her life to service. As the founder of Family Agriculture Resource Management Services, or F.A.R.M.S., she advocates for small farmers, especially farmers of color in high poverty rural areas. As an attorney specializing in agricultural law, Hishaw uses her expertise to fight for America’s small farmers so they can keep their land and grow their businesses. The loss of her family’s own small farm inspired her to pursue this work.
We asked Hishaw to tell us about her passion for serving this community of small farmers, and how F.A.R.M.S. is expanding to help communities serve families who are food insecure. The following is an edited and condensed version of that conversation. Learn more about F.A.R.M.S. on Instagram, or on Twitter at @FARMS30000, and follow Hishaw at @jillianhishaw.
Tell us what F.A.R.M.S. is currently working on.
Currently, we are busy working on providing legal and technical services to aging small farmers to make sure the family farm is protected from predatory lenders, nursing homes, and other people and entities who want to take advantage of the elders. On a weekly basis, I get calls from farmers who need encouragement because many farmers and landowners are under intense stress.
Who is part of the F.A.R.M.S. community?
We work not only with small farmers of color in high poverty rural areas in the South and Southeast but as the challenges of small farmers have gotten worst our clientele now is small farmers in general. When I first started this work, I primarily worked with black and indigenous farmers because in the black community, nearly 30,000 acres of land ownership is lost annually. It’s why I named our website www.30000acres.org. As the years have progressed and small farmers are constantly being forced out of business and off their land, we now focus on providing services to small farmers across the country.
How did you start your community work?
I started volunteering in different capacities in the late 1990s—whether it was donating clothes to the domestic violence shelter or volunteering in church or with environmental organizations, I knew my career path would always be dedicated to public service. Since finishing my education 12 years ago, every position I have held or created has been at a public service entity. I have to see positive change in my work on the ground and in the field, even if I hire people to do it. Over the past 12 years, I have established programs ranging from green job training for ex-felons to legal services for small farmers.
For example, we not only provide legal services within F.A.R.M.S. but we also have a hunger relief program where we have donated over 220,000 lbs. of produce to food banks and hunger relief agencies in our seven-state region, which continues to expand each year. These types of results keep me going, even in times when we are functioning on a pro bono basis. Rural communities are in need of F.A.R.M.S. services and as government funding cuts back, programs like ours become more of a necessity.
What inspired you to do this work?
Due to my own family’s experience in losing our farmland as a result of our elders trusting a dishonest professional, I knew I wanted to go to law school and provide honest services to landowners to prevent the land loss my family suffered.
What ways are you helping to make your community thrive?
Working with an attorney to save a farm that had been in a black family since Post-Reconstruction and to visit the farm and see it thriving with produce and trees gives me joy! We prevent eldercare abuse from predatory lenders; we protect family farms to ensure the land stays in the family; we protect natural resources; we feed people in rural communities from our hunger relief efforts. These are just some of the ways F.A.R.M.S. helps people in our communities.
What do you love about your community?
I love helping the aging farmer find solace in knowing that the land will be passed down and ensuring those feelings of security when they are at the latter stages of life in providing proper estate planning services to the farmer.
What’s one thing you want outsiders to know about your community?
They think they are unforgotten and F.A.R.M.S. is one of the few entities that reminds them they are not forgotten. Rural communities need funding and support just like urban causes but the communities we serve are neglected. F.A.R.M.S. along with other rural nonprofits need support because urban and rural development go hand and hand. Once people start to realize that the dynamic between urban and rural communities won't be so divided.
What leaders inspire you?
Shirley Sherrod of the Southwest Georgia Project and Dean Walter Hill, my former dean at Tuskegee University. Their decades of self-sacrifice inspires me to continue the work because they suffered under extreme circumstances to advocate for farmers of color in the South.
EDITOR'S NOTE
Meet the finalists for The Renewal Awards, a project of The Atlantic and Allstate. These individuals are the forces behind the 25 nonprofits competing for $150,000 in grant money. Ten winners will be announced March 27 at The Renewal Summit in New Orleans, on TheAtlantic.com, and here, on The Renewal Project.
#food insecurity #the renewal awards
Margaret Myers
Margaret Myers is the editor of The Renewal Project. @margaretvm
African Agtech Market Map: 99 Technologies Changing the Future of Agriculture in Africa
African Agtech Market Map: 99 Technologies Changing the Future of Agriculture in Africa
FEBRUARY 14, 2018 LINA BELMAACHI
Editor’s Note: Lina Belmaachi is cofounder of The Seed Project, a non-profit think tank. The team spent time on-the-ground in Africa in order to do a diagnosis and identify pain points across the agricultural value chain before heading to worldwide innovation hubs to meet with start-ups and select the solutions best adapted to African specificities. Their goal is to contribute to the African agricultural progress towards a system with optimized resource allocation through technology. Here Belmaachi organizes 99 African Agrifood technologies.
There are seven billion people on the planet and more than one-quarter of them suffer from malnutrition, mostly in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. By 2050, the global population is expected to reach 9 billion people and the number of under-nourished children to increase by 25 million. We are now facing one of the biggest challenges of this century – how can we feed all these mouths?
Innovative solutions need to be implemented and technology and information sharing can help produce enough food and correctly distribute it around the planet.
The African continent has huge potential with 60% of world’s non-cultivated arable lands but still spends $25 billion annually on food imports. Africa could play a major role and take on future food challenges, yet it needs to leapfrog the innovation gap with other continents to produce enough food for its own population and work toward becoming a food exporter.
Even though African farmers are attached to their traditions and quite reluctant to change, they are not immune to the technology revolution. Just like in the banking industry, where mobile money technologies have become pervasive regardless of the quasi-inexistent banking system, agriculture must follow suit.
Coming back to the basics of agriculture, farmers essentially have four main access challenges:
- Financing & Insurance
- Resources (inputs, equipment, labour)
- Knowledge & know-how (business and agronomic)
- Market (logistics, commercialization, transformation)
A representative and non-exhaustive selection of these companies have been visualized in this African Agtech market map, into nine categories by AgFunder and The Seed Project.
Financial Services
Financial services are not intuitively linked to agriculture, but they have a crucial role to play for African farmers. Smallholder farmers are seen as high-risk profile clients, dependent on climate, and with no collateral. This, combined with the lack of credit and risk-scoring capabilities, turns loan and insurance application processes into real hurdles for farmers. Different types of financial solutions are thus arising, such as:
- Micro-banking, with Oradian (Nigeria)
- Micro-insurance, with Mobbisurance (South Africa)
- Transaction services, with M-Pesa (Kenya)
- Data analytics for risk scoring with Acre Africa (Kenya) and credit scoring with Farm Drive (Kenya)
Ag Biotech Inputs
Farmers are using inputs (seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides) that are environmental detractors and not suited for their lands given their underdeveloped agronomic knowledge. There is room for start-ups to use advances in biotechnology such as plant breeding, gene editing, biologicals or microbiome research in order to propose more sustainable and efficient input solutions.
Wanda Organic is a Kenyan start-up providing organic bio-fertilizers to small and medium-sized farmers in order to improve their soil health and yields. Clients can order products by sending a simple SMS with their phone. Another company, InteliSeed from South Africa, partnered with Syngenta to provide farmers with optimized seeds that can offer them an butter output and quality for their crops. They are focused on vegetables, oil, and legumes and are starting to look at new varieties.
Resources Access
Smallholder farmers are operating on just a few acres of land, yet represent 80% of the food production in Africa. They are dispersed, landlocked and limited in cash, thus making it extremely difficult to access inputs or equipment. Marketplaces and sharing platforms aim at giving farmers the production tools they need.
Esoko is an information and communication service for agricultural markets in Africa that recently launched Tulaa, a marketplace for inputs. It combines mobile technology and last mile agent networks to connect input suppliers, financial service providers, and commodity buyers to smallholder farmers.
Apart from inputs, access to natural resources (i.e. water and energy) is a prerequisite for farming activity. Efficient management solutions are necessary to limit costs and waste. SunCulture, a start-up in Kenya is proposing an innovative solution. Their AgroSolar Irrigation Kit is a solar-powered irrigation system – a solar water pumping technology and a high-efficiency drip irrigation, bundled with a “pay-as-you-grow” financing service launched in 2016.
Farmers’ knowledge
With better agronomic practices and knowledge on value-add operations, farmers could obtain higher yields and better quality products. Yet the current farming system is based on traditional practices relayed from father to son. How can these isolated villagers have access and adopt best farming practices? This effort is commonly done by NGOs but a few other actors are also entering the field. For instance:
- Ojay Greene (Kenya) offers training, advisory services and market access for underserved smallholder farmers;
- ICT4Dev (Côte d’Ivoire) integrates ICT solutions for farmers’ problems through platform design, web management tools, mobile, SMS and voice;
- AgroSpaces (Cameroon) is a networking site connecting agricultural communities to share information and form valuable connections.
Farm Management Software, Sensing & IoT
As the saying goes, “what you measure, you optimize”. Farmers are operating in uncertain environments and are eager to obtain smart recommendations. UjuziKilimo is a Kenyan company that utilizes data science and machine learning to provide actionable agronomic insights to farmers. Data on soil and crops are obtained with sensors and farmers can get real-time information and advice by SMS. Sokopepe is another Kenyan startup offering market information and farm records management services through FARMIS, a farm management and diagnostic tool and SOKO+, a digital commodity trading and information system, linking small-scale farmers to end retailers and bulk purchasers of produce.
Farm Robotics, Mechanization & Equipment
Startups are working on automating many repetitive, tiring tasks in order for farmers to save time and energy. A good example is DroneScan, specially-designed drone attachments that can take inventory in food storage facilities and provide live feedback. The Institue for Grape and Wine Sciences is also working on a robot in South Africa for data gathering purposes on vineyards.
Midstream Technologies
Nowadays, consumers are increasingly looking at the life of products from “farm to fork” — they want to know the story behind the product. This is a great challenge in Africa, where logistics can be very tricky. Some Agtech start-ups are laying the foundation for a leaner supply chain, including quality testing devices, sensors for products’ traceability and safety, and smart logistics. iProcure is the largest agricultural supply chain platform in rural Africa. In addition to complete procurement and last-mile distribution services, the Kenyan company provides business intelligence and data-driven stock management across the supply chains. AfriSoft is a technology and software solutions provider in South Africa that addresses challenges such as warehouse management, quality, traceability and production tracking.
AgriBusiness Marketplaces
In Africa, the food supply chain is highly dependent on middlemen that take advantage of smallholder farmers given their limited market connectivity. Margins are then split between all these intermediaries, to the detriment of farmers. Some companies thus enable farmers to sell their products online, reaching final customers and increasing their revenues. M-Farm is a Kenyan startup providing a platform to connect farmers directly to buyers and inform them of price trends to optimize planting and harvesting timing.
Novel Farming Systems
The decreasing percentage of arable lands along with increasing pressure of climate change calls for more sustainable processes to produce food with fewer resources. The most well-known alternative to current farming systems is indoor farming, by growing produce in high-tech greenhouses and automated vertical farms. This includes aquaponics and hydroponics along with production facilities for new living ingredients such as insects and algae. Fresh Direct Nigeria brings fresh premium organic produce closer to market with their container farm technology. Using hydroponics and vertical farming within a shipping container, the company is able to grow directly in urban areas.
Using fly larvae fed on existing organic waste, AgriProtein from South Africa has developed and tested a new large-scale and sustainable source of natural protein.
Africa has the potential to turn into the breadbasket of the world, but the way is still long and arduous. Bright minds should keep looking for solutions fitted to the needs and adapted to the African context. As pointed out by Sudanese billionaire and philanthropist Mo Ibrahim, “This is neither a good time for Afro-optimism nor for Afro-pessimism! Africa needs to move towards Afro-realism.”
McCain Foods Makes A Significant Strategic Investment In Vertical Farming
McCain Foods Makes A Significant Strategic Investment In Vertical Farming
TORONTO, April 12, 2018:
McCain Foods Limited has completed a strategic investment in TruLeaf Sustainable Agriculture, a highly innovative Canadian agricultural technology company. TruLeaf has developed proprietary indoor vertical farming technology to grow fresh and nutritious leafy greens of high quality and flavor, in an environmentally sustainable way, 365 days per year.
Since its inception in 2011, the Company has assembled a strong team of leading experts to develop and advance these proprietary growing systems, that can be located anywhere, from the heart of an urban center to remote communities with harsh climates. TruLeaf currently sells its produce in Atlantic Canada under the GoodLeaf brand, in retail and food service channels.
McCain Foods is actively engaging with entrepreneurs in developing and commercializing agri-food technologies; the strategic investment in TruLeaf is in direct support of McCain Foods’ innovation strategy.
Commenting on the partnership, Max Koeune, President, and CEO of McCain Foods Limited said, “McCain has a 60-year track record of advancing agricultural practices to the benefit of crop quality and environmental standards. Over this time, we have worked closely with many research institutions, technology partners and of course, our global network of growers. We remain committed to this approach and as such are always looking to partner with innovative businesses like TruLeaf to continue to set new standards for environmental care and efficient crop production, through advancing agricultural technology”.
Gregg Curwin, TruLeaf Founder, and CEO said, “We are extremely pleased to be entering this next phase of development and growth with such a strong leading global food company as McCain Foods. We believe this partnership will accelerate TruLeaf’s farm build-out, providing high quality, local, fresh produce to more Canadians while also expanding our reach to other countries around the world.”
About McCain Foods Limited:
McCain Foods Limited is the world’s largest manufacturer of frozen potato products and a global leader in appetizers and snacks. It employs approximately 20,000 people, operates 53 production facilities on six continents and generates annual sales in excess of CDN $9 billion.
About TruLeaf:
TruLeaf is a revolutionary data-driven company that improves food production predictability through precision agriculture without the use of pesticides, herbicides or fungicides. The company’s system leverages vertical farming technology to create efficient, controlled indoor farms to meet the needs of retailers, food service, and consumers. Significantly disrupting the conventional leafy green supply chain in North America, TruLeaf sells its produce under the GoodLeaf brand, through a fully owned subsidiary, GoodLeaf Community Farms Limited, established to grow and market packaged produce in North America and beyond.
Palestinians Determined To Reopen West Bank Mushroom Farm
Palestinians Determined To Reopen West Bank Mushroom Farm
Tessa Fox | February 26, 2018
Facebook/Amorofarm
Packaged mushrooms at the Amoro facility in Jericho, West Bank. Photo uploaded Nov. 15, 2015.
Local Palestinian agricultural products are a powerful way to resist economic dependency on Israel, but barriers have plagued the West Bank's first mushroom farm.
The conflict between Israel and Palestine is about land and identity, explains Palestinian Fair Trade Association manager Mohammed al-Ruzzi. The Palestinian fair trade union works toward social and economic empowerment for producers and small community cooperatives through fair trade principles.
Agriculture plays an important role in resistance to the Israeli occupation. Growing local produce gives Palestinians options in the market and a choice to buy Palestinian products over Israeli products. “It helps you connect with the land, and stay with the land,” Ruzzi told Al-Monitor.
Amoro, Palestine's first mushroom farm, was established in 2013 by Sameer Khraishi, Mahmoud Kuhail, Wadia Nassar and Tayeb Akel. It grew directly out of these ideas of resistance. CEO Mahmoud Kuhail believes it is the Palestinians' right not to have a “monopolistic product enforced on the shelves.”
Kuhail told Al-Monitor, “It’s our right to have locally grown products be displayed at the point of sale, and as a customer, we have the right to choose between types of products.”
This right is difficult to uphold under occupation. Since its start, Amoro has faced numerous difficulties hindering the enterprise.
To produce their closed-cap white mushrooms at their farm in Jericho, in the Jordan Valley, Amoro needed to import compost infused with mushroom spores from the Netherlands. Even though all the necessary approvals were in place, both from the Palestinian Authority and Israel, the containers of raw materials were held arbitrarily at the Ashdod port, said Kuhail.
Kuhail explained the delays progressively increased. The first container was held for 30 days, the second 42, then 60 and the last 80 days. “Israeli producers [who] import from the same supplier face no problem getting it into their farms. It takes one to two days maximum,” Kuhail said. It's a strategy used by Israel to give its own agricultural businesses a market advantage.
Maintaining consistency in quality, making sure each batch of compost produces the same product, took time to perfect. “You need a year and a half to two years for trial and error,” Kuhail said.
Amoro was only fully operating for a year and a half before it had to close in mid-2016, as all of its revenues were eaten by the import costs. For every day a container was held, Amoro had to pay 880 shekels ($250). “It’s a huge amount of money,” Kuhail said. “When we sold the mushrooms, all the money we had as revenue, we gave it back to people we borrowed money from in order to cover the port expenses.”
Amoro was often out of the market for a month at a time waiting for the compost. “We were not able to schedule our growing cycles,” Kuhail explained.
Ruzzi said that the most important thing for farmers is a sustainable market. “Unfortunately, everything is controlled by the political situation,” he added.
When in production, Amoro distributed mushrooms to most of the main cities in the West Bank. There was also demand in Gaza, though Amoro had to put this expansion on hold as production became more unpredictable.
The farmers realized they needed to stop trying to import compost until they found a solution to the delays. While the business aims to be 100% Palestinian, Kuhail explained they have now registered a company in Israel, under Israeli law, to act as its import/export arm in the West Bank. It was the first step toward reopening in March. They hope the new company will be treated equally with Israeli importers. If not, Kuhail said Amoro could more easily sue the port authorities, as the company would fall under Israeli jurisdiction.
Kuhail said the Amoro extension in Israel is run in partnership with an Arab-Israeli, a Palestinian continuing to reside in Israel. He “is legally an Israeli, but in blood and heart he’s 100% Palestinian.”
On Dec. 17, Amoro launched a crowdfunding campaign to restart production. “We consumed all our options. We got money from our families, friends, our network, and we didn’t have anyone else to borrow money from,” Kuhail said.
While the full funding goal wasn’t reached, Amoro managed to raise just over $17,000. “It’s enough for us to get our first container and [perform] maintenance at the farm to start again,” Kuhail said happily.
Kuhail is thankful so many people want to help Amoro. He thinks the customer support and demand stems from their quality product and prices that can compete with Israeli mushrooms. “We pick the mushrooms from the growing rooms, then the next morning we bring them to the market. Whereas the Israeli products have to go through two or three middlemen to get to the market over here, losing quality in transport.”
Even though the Israeli mushrooms are of lesser quality, they retain their full price in Palestinian stores. Depending on the vendor, a 250-gram mushroom basket costs between 8 and 11 shekels ($2.30 and $3.10). Amoro co-founder Sameer Khraishi told Al-Monitor, “We try to compete with [Israeli] prices at the wholesale level, but the vendors have their own retail prices. Even if we sell at a low price, they will still sell them for 9 shekels ($2.50).”
Khraishi added there is a growing movement to boycott Israeli products to maintain national Palestinian identity. Kuhail said it is the Palestinians’ responsibility to participate in the economic resistance to the occupation. Kuhail explained the ethic was planted in him at a young age, saying, “I don’t remember my mum ever bringing Israeli products back home.”
Palestinian Society for Consumer Protection director Salah Hanieh said Palestine was badly in need of a mushroom farm to provide the market with a local option and empower the local population. “It’s important … as a Palestinian society, we want to promote Palestinian production,” Hanieh told Al-Monitor.
Hanieh echoed the idea that the agricultural sector is an important venue of Palestinian defiance and land defense. “Any sector of agriculture embodies resistance, [through] competing with Israeli products and stopping Israeli settlement [products] from coming to the Palestinian markets,” Hanieh explained.
The Palestinian agricultural market is often flooded with “illegal competition,” Hanieh explained. His organization found there are mushrooms produced in Israeli settlements that are labeled with a Palestinian name for sale in the Palestinian market.
“This is kind of stealing our identity,” said Ruzzi. Hanieh agreed, saying the consumers have the right to know what they are buying.
Amoro’s long-term goal is to build its own compost facility and no longer rely on imports, though it would cost around $1 million, according to Kuhail.
Kuhail hopes Amoro will be up and running again at the start of March, and he is also looking forward to expanding its product line to portobello mushrooms. “It’s definitely an exciting feeling,” he concluded.
Tessa Fox is a freelance journalist, photographer, and filmmaker focusing on war and conflict, indigenous affairs and the environment. Fox has worked for Middle East Eye, Deutsche Welle, The Independent, the Mail & Guardian (South Africa), Knack (Belgium), Australian Broadcasting Corporation, SBS World News, New Matilda, VICE/i-D and Crikey. Her work has been a finalist for the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma Asia's Pacific Prize. As a correspondent, Tessa has reported from Palestine, Turkey, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Russia, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Australia and various EU countries.
Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/02/palestine-mushroom-farm-agriculture-resistance-israel.html#ixzz58HZ91J51
Found in:AGRICULTURE AND FARMING
McCain’s Invests In Bedford Vertical Farm Company TruLeaf
McCain’s Invests In Bedford Vertical Farm Company TruLeaf
PETER MORIERA
April 12, 2018
TruLeaf facility in 2016. McCain Foods has invested in the Bedford based sustainable agriculture company. FILE
McCain Foods has invested in TruLeaf Sustainable Agriculture, with the goal of helping the Bedford-based vertical farm company to accelerate its farm development and reach global markets.
The Florenceville, N.B.-based food giant issued a press release on Thursday announcing the investment, though it did not reveal the dollar amount. McCain was the only investor in the funding round.
The deal is significant for both the companies. For McCain, it is another step in its strategy of investing in startups that use leading technologies like artificial intelligence and data analytics in the food industry. For TruLeaf, it brings in capital and a major corporate relationship as it is poised to enter the Toronto market this year with the opening of a major farm in Guelph, Ont.
“It’s a strategic move on many fronts,” said TruLeaf Founder and CEO Gregg Curwin in an interview. “We’re partnering with a major food company so it’s really about scaling intelligently, and their brand is truly global, which is very appealing.”
TruLeaf aims to be a leader in sustainable agriculture through the use of vertical farming — which combines hydroponic technology with advancements in LED lighting and reclaimed rainwater to allow year-round production of plants indoors. Vertical farming is nearly 30 times more efficient than traditional agriculture, uses as much as 95 percent less water, and takes up less land.
The company sells greens in Atlantic Canada under the GoodLeaf brand and has been working with Loblaw Companies, the parent of Atlantic Superstores. It will open the production facility in Guelph in the autumn, which means it will sell into Toronto. What Curwin has been speaking about more frequently in recent years is using artificial intelligence and data analytics to improve growing metrics and the nutritional content of the produce.
That use of smart technologies meshes well with recent moves by McCain. Under the stewardship of startup and entrepreneurship program lead, Nestor Gomez, the company has been assembling a stable of startups that use digital technologies to improve food production and distribution. McCain has already invested in Fredericton-based Resson, which gathers and analyzes data from outdoor farms, and Moncton-based Fiddlehead Technology, which uses data to predict consumer demand for food. McCain has also worked with Fredericton-based internet-of-things company, Eigen Innovations, and is now can add an indoor farming operation to its portfolio.
“We have worked closely with many research institutions, technology partners and of course, our global network of growers,” said McCain president and CEO Max Koeunein the statement. “We remain committed to this approach and as such are always looking to partner with innovative businesses like TruLeaf to continue to set new standards for environmental care and efficient crop production, through advancing agricultural technology.”
TruLeaf, which last raised capital in an $8.5-million financing round in December 2016, will not seek more financing in the near future, said Curwin. The company now has 40 employees, which will rise to as many as 65 in the autumn with the opening of the Guelph farm. And Curwin said the partnership with McCain will accelerate the build-out of its farms.
“This is really a pivotal move for us and the best part is it’s such a great East Coast story.”
BrightFarms To Invest Up To 17 Million In Texas Green
180,000 Square Foot
BrightFarms To Invest Up To 17 Million In Texas Greenhouse
BrightFarms has selected Abilene as the site of its first hydroponic greenhouse farm in Texas. Construction is slated to begin this summer, and shoppers will find their greens and herbs in area grocery stores by early 2019.
The company will receive approximately 21 acres in Access Business Park in Texas, valued at $632,700, to construct the 180,000 square foot greenhouse. The project aims to begin construction in summer 2018 and be fully operational by early 2019.
The state-of-the-art hydroponic greenhouse will be constructed at an estimated cost of up to $17 million and create as many as 30 “green-collar” jobs for local residents, each paying a living wage and offering health benefits. The incentive requires the company to meet minimum performance criteria for jobs and investment over the next five years.
BrightFarms
Operating greenhouse farms to help meet the growing demand for year-round local produce, BrightFarms’s sustainable growing methods use 80 percent less water, 90 percent less land and 95 percent less shipping fuel than conventional agriculture. As the future of scalable, sustainable local farming, this model eliminates time, distance, and costs from the food supply chain.
Founded in 2011 in New York, New York, the company currently has facilities in Rochelle, Illinois; Culpeper County, Virginia; Bucks County, Pennsylvania and is in the process of opening a new location in Wilmington, Ohio.
By constructing greenhouse farms near major metros, the company’s produce is grown locally and picked at the height of freshness, delivering to supermarkets within 24 hours of harvest. By comparison, the majority of produce found on grocery shelves travel 5-7 days and thousands of miles.
Brand for retailers
BrightFarms has established a successful brand that has gained the attention of major grocery retailers, with current partners representing more than 60 percent of the U.S. grocery market. As a result, the company has put forth a plan to phase its growth over the next few years to serve customers across the U.S.
In October 2017, The Governor’s Office of EDT (Economic Development and Tourism) contacted the Abilene Industrial Foundation (AIF), on behalf of BrightFarms, to identify an ideal site as part of its efforts to expand into the southern market. The AIF works on behalf of the DCOA to promote the growth, development, and diversification of the economy in Abilene by attracting new industries.
Texas
BrightFarms asked targeted Texas communities for greenfield sites to construct its next greenhouse operation. The AIF worked with the DCOA to formulate a response, highlighting the land that was recently made available next to the Abilene Regional Airport. This area, Access Business Park, is being developed as Abilene's next-generation business park that aims to be the home for new industry in the coming years.
"Abilene's central location, available land and incentive program plays an influential role in attracting this project to the city," said Justin Jaworski, Executive Director for the Abilene Industrial Foundation.
Spin-off businesses
It is estimated that BrightFarms will generate $23.1 million in direct economic output over the next 10 years. Spin-off businesses in the community will produce $12.9 million in economic output in this same time frame, as a result of local operations. In total, the company will support $36 million in new economic output over this time. Economic output is the value of goods and services produced in the economy and can be thought of as revenues for businesses.
Kent Sharp, CEO of the Development Corporation of Abilene, said the company will contribute approximately $12.5 million in payroll to the local economy in its first 10 years. "The project itself will generate an additional $3 million in revenues to local taxing entities over this period of time, with $1.5 million accruing to the City of Abilene," he added.
As a result, the DCOA approved a 10 percent match of the investment, up to $1,700,000, leaving the remaining 90 percent to be provided by the company. "The involvement from the DCOA to incentivize this company to locate in Abilene is a testament to all the great things our city has to offer businesses," said DCOA Board President John Beckham.
For more information:
BrightFarms
Thailand’s Singha Invests in Temasek’s Vertex, Kejora’s Venture Capital Funds
Vertex Ventures. Photographer: Sam Kang Li/Bloomberg
Thailand’s Singha Invests in Temasek’s Vertex, Kejora’s Venture Capital Funds
Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul
March 12, 2018
Thailand’s Singha invests in Temasek’s Vertex, Kejora’s venture capital funds Vertex Ventures. Photographer: Sam Kang Li/Bloomberg Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul March 12, 2018, Thailand’s new venture capital firm Singha Ventures said it had invested a total of $25 million in Vertex Ventures, the VC arm of Temasek Holdings, and Indonesia’s Kejora Ventures.
This makes Singha the second investor from Thailand in the latest funds of both Vertex Ventures and Kejora. Singha said it had made these investments last year, even as it formally launched Singha Ventures last week.
The investment arm of Thai conglomerate Singha Corporation will focus on investments locally and globally in consumer products, supply chain management and logistical technologies, and enterprise solutions. Vertex Ventures had last year revealed raising funding from Thailand’s Kasikornbank Pcl and Taiwan’s Cathay Life Insurance in its third Southeast Asia-focused fund, which had made a final close of $210 million in October 2017, exceeding its target of $150 million.
This marked the first time that Vertex, the oldest venture capital firm in Southeast Asia, had raised capital from external investors. Its previous two Southeast Asia funds were completely funded by parent Temasek. Incidentally, just like Singha, Bangkok-based Kasikornbank Pcl had also set up its investment arm – Beacon Venture Capital – with an initial corpus of THB 1 billion last year to invest in VC funds and promising startups. Kasikornbank has also invested in Singapore-based fintech focused VC firm Dymon Asia that has been targeting to raise $50 million for its first fund. Beacon VC focuses on strategic investments in early to growth-stage technology startups in fintech, consumer lifestyle and deep technology sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI) and enterprise IT.
The VC firm’s portfolio includes digital lifestyle platform Ookbee, event management company Event Pop and online accounting SaaS firm FlowAccount. Kejora, meanwhile, is an early-stage Indonesia-based venture capital firm that is currently targeting to raise $80 million for its second vehicle, Kejora Star Capital II Fund. Its backers or limited partners (LPs) include Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand Group and Germany’s Hubert Burda Media. Founded in 2014, its portfolio includes P2P lending marketplace Investree, logistics solutions provider Etobee, digital marketing solutions provider bDigital (now Heroleads) and P2P lending and equity crowdfunding startup Crowdo.
Kejora has also partnered with South Korean venture capital firm InterVest to raise a $100-million Southeast Asia fund. In December 2017, the two firms had announced a first close of the fund, having secured more than half of their targeted corpus. Flush with cash, Thai enterprises are increasingly becoming investors in technology companies locally and globally. Last year,
Thai real estate firm Sansiri announced an $80-million investment across six global technology and lifestyle brands in a bid to move beyond reality into technology-enabled next-generation living.
The six brands include boutique hotel brand Standard International, Singapore-based co-working space operator JustCo and smart indoor farming company Farmshelf.
Thai conglomerate PTT Group was also reported to be considering a $45-million corporate venture arm last year.
Tags: Kejora Ventures Singha Ventures Vertex Ventures
Read more at https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/thailand-singha-vertex-ventures-kejora-94015/
Wefarm Raises $5m From Skype, WordPress Founders for Smallholder Farmer Network
Wefarm Raises $5m From Skype, WordPress Founders for Smallholder Farmer Network
MARCH 13, 2018 | EMMA COSGROVE
Wefarm, a peer-to-peer farmer network for smallholder farmers, has raised a $5 million second seed round led by True Ventures, which describes itself as a fund focused on “the democratization of innovation as a powerful force for global good,” and a handful of Silicon-valley angels.
Also participating in the round are Skype and Atomico Founder Niklas Zennström, WordPress Founder Matt Mullenweg, Blue Bottle Coffee CEO Bryan Meehan, and the Norrsken Foundation with follow-on investment from LocalGlobe and Accelerated Digital Ventures.
Wefarm uses AI technology to connect small-scale farmers to crowdsourced information by enabling them to share techniques and advice on anything from how to battle a disease to how to increase their income, through SMS or online in their own languages.
The platform helps farmers in eastern Africa access critical information regarding farming, weather, and crop yields using an SMS and online methodology. The UK-based company with offices in Kampala, Uganda and Nairobi, Kenya, closed a $2.9 million venture round in January 2016.
“Mission alignment is really important for us. Some of the earliest advice that I got is that there are a lot of people that can write a check, but there aren’t a lot of people with the right check,” said founder and CEO Kenny Ewan to AgFunderNews. “At a basic level our goal has been to build a platform that farmers want to use and trust, and everything else will come from that,” he continued.
Ewan saw that many agtech startups started with technology and then had trouble reaching farmers. He said that by starting by building a community of farmers, currently at the rate of 2,000 new users per day, he now has an audience of more than 660,000 farmers to which it can market any number of services.
Wefarm is now working to monetize its community by providing services that users have requested within the service. Ewan said that the initial focus will likely be on financial products and trading or marketplace capabilities.
“About 4% of all the content we get from farmers organically is looking to buy and sell — it’s trading and looking for customers and loans,” said Ewan.
Wefarm is also experimenting with commercializing data gathered from farmers’ requests, especially around common crop diseases: the most discussed topic among Wefarm users.
Ewan said that the social enterprise startup has already begun discussions with multinational ag corporates, governments, and NGOs.
Wefarm claims that its data models will be able to track and predict keys issues, such as disease, ripening periods, shortages, drought, soil conditions, farm characteristics and other supply chain issues. With this data, businesses can improve supply chain management and security, evaluate key trends and challenges, and increase sustainability and transparency, according to the company.
“We invested in Wefarm because their innovative solution helps to achieve the United Nation’s sustainable development goals,” said Anna Ryott, Deputy CEO of the Norrsken Foundation. “It enables small farmers to become more efficient, thereby directly contributing to the eradication of hunger and poverty.”
Jillian Hishaw, Founder & Director of Family Agriculture Resource Management Services (F.A.R.M.S), was Interviewed by Shonna Etienne of Intellectual Chocolate, Sponsored by The Black Business School
Jillian Hishaw, Founder & Director of Family Agriculture Resource Management Services (F.A.R.M.S), was Interviewed by Shonna Etienne of Intellectual Chocolate, Sponsored by The Black Business School.
Special thanks to the Sponsor the Black Business School and Ms. Shonna Etienne, Real Estate Expert and Internet TV Host of Intellectual Chocolate for interviewing Jillian Hishaw about her work with Black farmers in the South! The segment focused on land retention and estate planning challenges of landowners!
Please take look at the interview.
Ms. Jillian Hishaw, Esq. F.A.R.M.S., Founder, Director and Agricultural Attorney states “We need more young Black farmers, the median age of our farm clients is 75 years old. Each time a Black farmer passes away or slowly leaves us while living due to dementia, we lose hundreds of years of history. I have found what the farmer knows at 85 was passed down five generations previously.”
F.A.R.M.S., is a regional nonprofit dedicated to protecting the family farm against land loss through estate planning and education while relieving hunger in the farmer's community. To keep up to date with Ms. Hishaw’s latest activities please visit www.jillianhishaw.com and to support F.A.R.M.S. work visit www.30000acres.org and sign up for our newsletter. Please follow us on social media T: FARMS30000 Instagram: f.a.r.m.s FB: F.A.R.M.S.
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LumiGrow, Completes Oversubscribed Bridge Financing Round
With the successful closing, LumiGrow will continue to focus on providing industry-leading LED lighting hardware and software solutions to commercial horticulture and research institutions, utilizing data gathered through its smartPARTM software application and recently introduced smartPARTM Light Sensor Module.
LumiGrow, Completes Oversubscribed Bridge Financing Round
Emeryville, CA, USA – February 14, 2018 – LumiGrow, a smart horticultural lighting company, announced the successful completion of a $5.1 million bridge financing. The oversubscribed round included participation from existing lead investor, Ecosystem Integrity Fund, as well as new investors, ValueAct Spring Master Fund, L.P. and Greenhouse Capital.
With the successful closing, LumiGrow will continue to focus on providing industry-leading LED lighting hardware and software solutions to commercial horticulture and research institutions, utilizing data gathered through its smartPARTM software application and recently introduced smartPARTM Light Sensor Module. The timing and size of the financing allows LumiGrow to accelerate the development of its next-generation products.
Kelly Barlow, a Partner at ValueAct Capital, has been appointed to LumiGrow’s Board of Directors, which includes LumiGrow’s CEO, Shami Patel, Partners of Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Devin Whatley and James Everett, and agricultural industry leader, Minos Athanassiadis.
The registered principals of Keene Advisors and representatives of Squire Patton Boggs advised LumiGrow in connection with the bridge financing.
About LumiGrow, Inc.
LumiGrow, Inc., the leader in smart horticultural LED lighting solutions, empowers growers with the ability to improve plant quality, boost crop yields, and achieve cost-saving operational efficiencies. LumiGrow offers a range of proven grow light and software solutions for use in greenhouses, controlled environment agriculture and research chambers. LumiGrow is headquartered in Emeryville, California,
About Ecosystem Integrity Fund
The Ecosystem Integrity Fund is a top-ranked venture capital firm that invests in early-stage companies contributing to environmental sustainability. The fund has had successful exits with investments in Zep Solar, Kevita, and eMotorWerks.
About ValueAct Capital
ValueAct Capital is a San Francisco-based investment firm with approximately $15 billion in assets under management. ValueAct Spring Master Fund’s investment objective is to seek to achieve superior returns by making long-term investments in companies that responsibly and creatively address certain environmental and social problems by using sustainable models.
About Greenhouse Capital Partners
Greenhouse Capital Partners is a growth capital firm investing in emerging businesses promoting health and sustainability within the areas of food, agriculture, and the environment. The firm believes that an economic revolution is underway, powered by technology and simultaneously shaped by evolving consumer needs, that has created a business landscape in which healthy, sustainable, higher quality and more engaging consumer experiences can thrive. Greenhouse is at the forefront of investing in this wave of change. The firm targets real companies with real products that are built upon real values to stand the test of time. We focus on helping build companies that tackle both the complex issues of health and sustainability in society and are themselves built upon sustainable business models.
If you would like more information, please call LumiGrow at (800) 514-0487, or visit www.lumigrow.com.
Urban Farming Platform Infarm Gets $25M Funding Endorsement
Berlin-based urban farming startup Infarm has received a rousing endorsement for its vertical, indoor farms in the form of cash. Like, lots of cash.
Urban Farming Platform Infarm Gets $25M Funding Endorsement
Photo Credit: Infarm
Berlin-based urban farming startup Infarm has received a rousing endorsement for its vertical, indoor farms in the form of cash. Like, lots of cash.
Balderton Capital was the leading investor in a Series A funding round, with other names such as Mons Investments, Cherry Ventures, and LocalGlobe claiming their stake in the promising indoor farming company. The round brings Infarm’s total funding to date to $35 million, and they plan on using the new capital to expand their international footprint in Paris, Copenhagen, London, and other German cities while improving upon their Berlin-based R&D headquarters.
The goal: 1,000 Infarm vertical farms in operation globally by 2019’s end.
Here’s how Infarm works. They conceived and control the glass-walled ‘vertical indoor farms’, allowing clients such as grocery stores and restaurants to place the Infarm incubator in their business. From there customer can pick their own herbs, lettuce, or other vegetables out for themselves, much like they would with any other fruit or vegetable. The difference is that they know Infarm produce is guaranteed fresh because they are picking the produce or herb from the incubator in which it’s grown.
Infarm’s techs and agricultural experts can manage their modules remotely, taking maintenance issues out of the hands of clients while using A.I. and a mass of analytical data to ensure that the produce is being grown as near to perfect as possible.
We collect 50,000 data points throughout a plant’s lifetime, Erez Galonska, cofounder and CTO explained, each farm acts as a data pipeline, sending information on plant growth to our platform 24/7 allowing it to learn, adjust, and optimize.
Each module can be controlled to establish the perfect amount of light, pH levels, temperature, and nutrients depending on what is being grown. The Infarm modules have been likened to their own contained, highly-controlled ecosystems, and Galonska has said that he hopes to create a world where seasonal changes and drought are irrelevant to one’s ability to produce food.
Infarm’s model makes too much sense for grocery stores, restaurants, and other establishments that waste countless funds throwing out over-ripe produce daily to overlook. It’s no wonder so many investors are willing to put their big bucks behind Galonska and his partners, brother Guy and Osnat Michaeli, and their one-of-a-kind urban farming platform.
The challenge [now] is in finding the right partners. Our initial focus is on supermarket chains, online food retailers, wholesalers, hotels, and other food-related businesses, for whom the superior quality and range of produce — with no fluctuation in costs — makes Infarm an attractive partner, Michaeli explains. In return, we can reintroduce the joy of growing to the urban population.
BrightFarms Innovates With A Crunchy Iceberg Baby Leaf!
BrightFarms Innovates With A Crunchy Iceberg Baby Leaf!
A new take on a salad classic, BrightFarms Sunny Crunch is now on shelves in partner retailers.
New York, (February 2, 2018) – BrightFarms is announcing the launch of Sunny Crunch, a packaged salad that features a unique baby leaf iceberg not typically found in US supermarkets.
With a mild flavor profile that’s aimed at families and kids, Sunny Crunch combines the crisp texture of iceberg with the flavor and color of a leafy green. BrightFarms’ innovation team spent months researching and testing non-traditional lettuce varieties before landing on Sunny Crunch. It will be grown and distributed to local supermarkets from each of the company’s current greenhouse facilities.
“Iceberg lettuce is an American classic that continues to command a strong position in the salad category,” said Abby Prior, BrightFarms VP of Marketing. “Sunny Crunch adds a new level of flavor and excitement to a variety that many of us grew up with. We’re very excited to be introducing it to our retail partners as an exclusive offering.”
Through the use of controlled hydroponic growing systems, BrightFarms is able to bring innovative products to market in a relatively short amount of time. The company is testing a number of other leafy greens and herbs and plans to roll out additional new products this spring.
For more information about BrightFarms and Sunny Crunch, please visit www.brightfarms.com.
About BrightFarms
BrightFarms grows local produce, nationwide. BrightFarms finances, builds, and operates local greenhouse farms in partnership with supermarkets, cities, capital sources, and vendors, enabling it to quickly and efficiently eliminate time, distance, and costs from the food supply chain. BrightFarms’ growing methods, a model for the future of scalable, sustainable local farming, uses far less energy, land and water than conventional agriculture. Fast Company recognizes BrightFarms as “One of World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies” and one of the “Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Food” in the world. For more information, please visit www.brightfarms.com.
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Media Inquiries:
Megan Foard
Abel Communications for BrightFarms
Balderton Capital Leads $25M Series A In ‘Urban Farming’ Platform Infarm
Infarm, a startup that has developed vertical farming tech for grocery stores, restaurants, and local distribution centres to bring fresh and artisan produce much closer to the consumer, has raised $25 million in Series A funding.
Infarm, a startup that has developed vertical farming tech for grocery stores, restaurants, and local distribution centres to bring fresh and artisan produce much closer to the consumer, has raised $25 million in Series A funding.
February 5, 2018 | Steve O'Hear (@sohear)
Balderton Capital Leads $25M Series A In ‘Urban Farming’ Platform Infarm
Infarm, a startup that has developed vertical farming tech for grocery stores, restaurants, and local distribution centres to bring fresh and artisan produce much closer to the consumer, has raised $25 million in Series A funding.
The round is led by London-based VC firm Balderton Capital, with participation from TriplePoint Capital, Mons Investments, and previous investors Cherry Ventures, QUADIA and LocalGlobe.
It brings the total raised by the Berlin-based company to $35 million, including a $2.5 million grant from the European Commission as part of the Horizon 2020 program.
Related Articles
Infarm wants to put a farm in every grocery store
Infarm says the new capital will be used for international expansion and to further develop its 5,000 sqm R&D centre in Berlin. This will include bringing its vertical farming system to Paris, London, and Copenhagen, in addition to other German cities later this year. The startup is targeting 1,000 farms to be operational across Europe by the end of 2019.
Founded in 2013 by Osnat Michaeli, and brothers Erez and Guy Galonska, Infarm has developed an “indoor vertical farming” system capable of growing anything from herbs, lettuce and other vegetables, and even fruit. It then places these modular farms in a variety of customer-facing city locations, such as grocery stores, restaurants, shopping malls, and schools, thus enabling the end-customer to actually pick the produce themselves.
The distributed system is designed to be infinitely scalable — you simply add more modules, space permitting — whilst the whole thing is cloud-based, meaning the farms can be monitored and controlled from Infarm’s central control centre. The whole thing is incredibly data-driven, a combination of IoT, Big Data and cloud analytics akin to “Farming-as-a-Service”.
The idea, the founding team told me back in June last year when I profiled the nascent company, isn’t just to produce fresher and better-tasting produce and re-introduce forgotten or rare varieties, but to disrupt the supply chain as a whole, which remains inefficient and produces a lot of waste.
“Behind our farms is a robust hardware and software platform for precision farming,” explained Michaeli. “Each farming unit is its own individual ecosystem, creating the exact environment our plants need to flourish. We are able to develop growing recipes that tailor the light spectrums, temperature, pH, and nutrients to ensure the maximum natural expression of each plant in terms of flavor, colour, and nutritional quality”.
Two years since launch, Infarm says it is now operating more than 50 farms across Berlin in supermarket aisles, restaurants kitchens, and distribution warehouses. This includes introducing in-store farming into EDEKA and METRO locations, two of Germany’s largest food retailers, in which dozens of “quality herbs and leafy greens” are grown and sold at what the startup describes as affordable prices.
Noteworthy, with an output of up to 1,200 plants per month from a single farm unit, Infarm claims it has already enabled some locations to become completely self-sufficient in their herb production.
“This is the beginning of the urban farming (r)evolution: it will redefine what it means to eat well, reshape the landscape of cities, and re-empower the people to take ownership of their food,” says Erez Galonska in a statement. “Our ambition is to reach cities as far as Seattle in the United States or Seoul, South Korea with our urban farming network”.
Open Prairie Announces Initial Closing on $100 Million Open Prairie Rural Opportunities Fund and USDA License as a Rural Business Investment Company
Open Prairie Announces Initial Closing on $100 Million Open Prairie Rural Opportunities Fund and USDA License as a Rural Business Investment Company
NEWS PROVIDED BY Open Prairie
Jan 24, 2018
EFFINGHAM, Ill., Jan. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Open Prairie is pleased to announce that its newest growth-stage private equity fund, the Open Prairie Rural Opportunities Fund, L.P., has received a license from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to operate as a Rural Business Investment Company (RBIC). In conjunction with its licensure, the fund has also completed a first closing with strategic partner commitments of over $55 million from lead investors comprised of institutions within the Farm Credit System, commercial and community banks, family offices, farm organizations and individuals passionate about advancing agriculture and growth throughout rural America.
The global food and agriculture system is on the precipice of unparalleled change. World population is projected to reach 9 billion by 2050 and agriculture continues to represent the largest environmental footprint of any economic sector. Globalization and development of emerging markets have resulted in a burgeoning middle class with disposable income, an expansive palate and greater focus on food safety, health and convenience. Additionally, caloric demands are expected to increase more than 70% by 2050 as consumers incorporate more proteins into their diets, resulting in crop demand growth requirements of over 100%.
Open Prairie Founder and Managing Partner, Jim Schultz, stated, "Open Prairie has worked closely with its lead investors to establish the Open Prairie Rural Opportunities Fund as an investment vehicle uniquely positioned to capitalize on the challenges facing today's agriculture environment." The Open Prairie Rural Opportunities Fund is a balanced private equity fund offering debt and equity capital to growth and later-stage companies across the agribusiness value chain.
"Compeer Financial, along with our Farm Credit Associations and partners, is committed to the growth of agribusinesses, jobs and new innovations in agriculture and rural America. We're excited to partner with Open Prairie, 11 banking institutions, and other investor partners to provide leadership, expertise and expand rural networks through the USDA's Rural Business Investment Program," explained Compeer Financial's Chief Mission and Marketing Officer, John Monson.
The U.S. remains a global leader in agriculture, particularly with respect to creation, development, and implementation of technologies with worldwide applications. Pat Morand, Open Prairie Partner and President, said, "With our multi-generational connections to rural America and a history of success in facilitating growth for its portfolio companies while generating top-tier returns for its partners, the Open Prairie team will leverage its expertise to identify opportunities in areas such as crop protection, ingredients, processing, storage, data management and logistics. The fund has begun cultivating a rich pipeline of prospects and will continue to raise capital with additional closings expected during the first half of 2018."
About Open Prairie
Open Prairie, based in the heartland of America with headquarters in Effingham, Illinois, and offices in Champaign, Illinois, Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Olathe, Kansas, is a multi-faceted private equity fund management firm with deep roots in rural America. Founded in 1997, Open Prairie has consistently focused on facilitating capital accessibility in underserved markets. The Open Prairie team has managed funds ranging from technology-based venture capital to farmland portfolios. Through its expertise across all functional business disciplines and an extensive network of professionals, Open Prairie works in partnership with its portfolio companies to accelerate growth while providing top-tier returns to its investors. For more information about Open Prairie, please visit www.openprairie.com.
About the Open Prairie Rural Opportunities Fund
The Open Prairie Rural Opportunities Fund is a targeted $100 million private equity fund licensed by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a Rural Business Investment Company (RBIC). The institutional investors that participated in the first closing in December, 2017 include: Farm Credit organizations – AgriBank (St. Paul, MN), CoBank (Denver, CO), Compeer Financial, FLCA (Sun Prairie, MN), Farm Credit Mid-America (Louisville, KY), Farm Credit Services of America (Omaha, NE) and FCS Financial (Jefferson City, MO); commercial and community banks – Dieterich Bank (Effingham, IL), FarmerMac (Washington, DC), First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust (Mattoon, IL), First National Bank of Omaha (Omaha, NE), Investors Community Bank (Manitowoc, WI), Prospect Bank (Paris, IL), Sauk Valley Bank & Trust (Sterling, IL), Security Bank (Laurel, NE); farming organizations – Farmers Union Enterprises (Alexandria, MN), North Dakota Farmers Union (Jamestown, ND); and individuals committed to the growth of rural America. The Open Prairie Rural Opportunities Fund is focused on providing debt and equity capital of $2 - $10 million to growth companies in food and agriculture.
For more information on the Open Prairie Rural Opportunities Fund, please visit www.openprairie.com.
National Young Farmers Coalition Issues Guide to Growing a Farm With Federal Loans
The National Young Farmers Coalition just released Farm Service Agency Loans: The Ins and Outs of Growing a Farm with Federal Loans, an illustrated guidebook for farmers looking to secure credit from USDA.
National Young Farmers Coalition Issues Guide to Growing a Farm With Federal Loans
Illustrated by Disney artist, guide is downloadable free at youngfarmers.org
HUDSON, NY (Jan. 16, 2018) – The National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) today released Farm Service Agency Loans: the Ins and Outs of Growing a Farm with Federal Loans, an illustrated guidebook for farmers looking to secure credit from USDA. This is the first comprehensive plain language guide to FSA loans since before the introduction of the popular microloan in 2013.
Cara Fraver, NYFC director of business services and former vegetable farmer, authored the guidebook with Lindsey Lusher Shute, NYFC executive director. The book is illustrated by Tamara Lusher Stocker, an artist who worked on celebrated animated films for Walt Disney Studios and developed films for Lucas Films, Ltd., and other studios.
“The Farm Service Agency remains the best place for young farmers to access their first capital,” said Shute. “The National Young Farmers Coalition collaborated with FSA on this guidebook because we wanted to make the process of getting a loan easier and more transparent.”
Shute noted the book helps farmers navigate the ins and outs of the loan process with a light touch, charming illustrations, and from the perspective and curiosity of a young farmer. Smart, comprehensive, deeply researched, and up-to-date, the book includes:
- the story of the USDA’s Farm Service Agency;
- a family tree of all the people who make loans at USDA through the Farm Service Agency;
- a description of all the ways farmers can get involved through USDA committees to influence and improve the loan process;
- case studies from farmers who received FSA loans;
- and charts with up-to-date interest rates and loan terms.
Farm Service Agency Loans: The Ins and Outs of Growing a Farm with Federal Loans, 50 pages, is available for free download at youngfarmers.org or in hard copy for $15. Its publication is funded by a cooperative agreement with USDA’s FSA Office of Program Education and Stakeholder Engagement to reach new audiences.
The National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) is a national advocacy network of young farmers fighting for the future of agriculture. Visit NYFC on the web at www.youngfarmers.org, and on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.