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Israel’s Vertical Field To Deploy Smart Vertical Farms In Ukraine

Vertical Field’s agreement with the Czech Republic-based Moderntrend SRO, one of the largest agricultural distributors in Ukraine, will see the Israeli company’s solutions set up at Varus, a local grocery chain with 95 stores across 25 cities nationwide

**Vertical Field's farms are grown on 'green walls.' Garu Nalbandian**

Israeli company Vertical Field, the developer of smart vertical growing solutions for fresh produce, announced a new agreement on Wednesday to deploy its vertical farms in Ukraine, starting with a pilot program with one of the country’s largest supermarket chain.

Founded in 2006, the Ra’anana-based Vertical Field uses advanced IoT software, embedded sensors, and in-house monitors to ensure its indoor vertical farms, which grow fresh vegetables, greens, and other plants, are nurtured in controlled conditions regardless of geography, physical location, weather, and climate conditions. The company says its soil-based vertical growing systems make the most efficient use of spaces, both indoors and outdoors, for both agricultural and smart landscaping.

Vertical Field CEO Guy Elitzur said the company’s solutions are ideal for urban environments where land is scarce and access to fresh produce may be more limited. He also indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the need for reduced contact and a more efficient supply chain.

“One of the realizations that have surfaced during the COVID-19 crisis is the need to develop solutions that allow urban residents access to healthy food, with minimal human handling and without depending on transportation and shipping from remote locations,” Elitzur said in a company statement. “We are delighted to be able to provide – and expand access to – healthy, and high-quality vegetables grown right outside the consumer’s door.”

Elitzur said the agreement with Moderntrend SRO will lead to partnerships with additional chains in the future.

Moderntrend SRO Director Bondar Denis said the pilot project introduces “innovative and proprietary technologies for vertical cultivation of products for the urban ecosystem by Vertical Field” and represented “a new level in the Ukrainian market.”

Last month, Vertical Field finalized a multi-million-dollar agreement with Israeli grocery chain Rami Levy to install vertical farms at dozens of the supermarket company’s branches across the country over the next five years.

By NoCamels Team January 06, 2021

IGrow PreOwned 1/7/21 IGrow PreOwned 1/7/21

What 8 Indoor Farming Companies Plan For 2021

By Jesse Klein

January 6, 2021

When the pandemic exposed major issues with our lengthy food supply chain — in the form of shipment delays and inadequate demand forecasting — local vertical farms and indoor growing organizations were called upon to fill in the gaps in a way that was unprecedented.

With 2020 in the history books and hopes for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic rising, these companies seek to build on their newfound momentum in 2021. With revenue for vertical farming alone estimated at just $212.4 million in 2019, one forecast calls for the industry to hit $1.38 billion by 2027, a compound annual growth rate of 26.2 percent from 2021 to 2027.

Here are what eight indoor-growing leaders are planning in the year ahead. The list is presented alphabetically and represents a slice of the marketplace activity cropping up in late 2020.

AeroFarms

AeroFarms’ four New Jersey vertical farms produced 2 million pounds of produce in 2020. And this year that number likely will skyrocket with the company’s April announcement of construction on a 90,000-square-foot indoor vertical farm in Abu Dhabi, the world’s largest vertical farm.

In 2021, Aerofarms is taking on the issue of food waste more explicitly. It invested in Precision Indoor Plants (PIP) to help understand and prevent lettuce discoloration, experiment with ways to increase lettuce yield, and level up leaf quality.

AppHarvest

Appalachian company AppHarvest has launched three indoor farms in Kentucky. It chose the state specifically because it’s within a day's drive of 70 percent of the U.S. population.

In early 2021, AppHarvest will harvest its first crop of tomatoes, a move meant to help reduce reliance and emissions from imported tomatoes. In 2019, 60 percent of America’s tomatoes were imported. The farms use a closed-loop system that runs entirely off recycled rainwater to eliminate agricultural runoff and reduce water usage.

Bowery Farming

Bowery Farming, based in New York City, plans to invest its 600 percent increase in sales last year into a new vertical farm in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 2021.

By working with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and the Governor’s Action Team, Bowery is turning an arid industrial site into 8.7 acres of modern farmland that also should help the economic recovery of the area. Bethlehem once was a thriving steel town with Bethlehem Steel Corporation once employing around 60 percent of the local workforce at its peak before shutting down in 1998.

Since then, the city has had to transition into different sectors. Bowery Farming hopes to be part of that evolution. Its farm will create 70 jobs and feature LED lighting, recapture water from the plants using a water transpiration system, and collect data on a massive scale to inform future farming choices.

BrightFarms

With $100 million in new funding raised in 2020, BrightFarms plans to construct indoor farms in every major market by 2025. This year marks the start of that journey with the construction of two new facilities in North Carolina and Massachusetts.

Both farms will be six to seven acres, or almost double the company’s current facilities in Ohio, Illinois and Virginia. In 2021, BrightFarm, which makes its headquarters in Irvington, New York, also plans to roll out its proprietary AI System, Bright OS, which will use machine learning and analytics to make operations from seed to shelf more efficient.

Gotham Greens

Gotham Greens has been at the forefront of urban farming for over a decade. After starting in New York and expanding across the northeast, 2021 will be the year Gotham tries to take over the rest of the country.

As the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered so many businesses, Gotham Greens was able to expand into Aurora, Colorado, just outside of Denver. The Colorado location is Gotham’s eighth indoor farm. It also expanded to Baltimore.

Finally, in December, the company announced an $87 million funding round. The funding will support Gotham Greens products in Whole Foods Market, Albertsons Companies, Meijer, Target, King Soopers, Harris Teeter, ShopRite, and Sprouts.

Infarm

In 2021, Infarm is hopping on a hot industry trend — bringing the vertical farm to the grocery store.

In late December, the Berlin-based company announced a partnership with Sumitomo, a Japanese company that owns Summit Store, one of Tokyo’s leading supermarket chains. The partnership will bring Infarm’s modular vertical farm directly to grocery stores.

With this move, Infarm is expanding on its in-store strategy first experimented with Kroger in Berlin in 2020. Brick Street Farms also partnered last year with Publix to bring its vertical farms closer to the consumer.

Infarm will install its first farm at Summit’s Gotanno location and products are scheduled to be ready for sale at the end of January.

Kalera

Kalera also plans a rapid expansion in 2021. The Orlando-based vertical farm company is pushing into Atlanta, Denver and Houston this year. This will be the company's third, fourth and fifth farms and the first ones outside Florida.

The Houston facilities will be the largest vertical farm in Texas while the Atlanta location will be the highest production volume vertical farm in the Southeast. The Atlanta one will be more than double the size of the company's Orlando facilities — able to produce 11 million heads of lettuce.

And in December Kalera announced it is expanding into the Pacific Northwest in Seattle. These new facilities will help Kalera support partnerships with grocers and restaurants in the area.

Plenty

Plenty, based in San Francisco, had an eventful final quarter of 2020 and is riding that momentum into 2021.

In August, the indoor farming company announced a partnership with Albertsons to expand into more than 430 stores in Southern California. It followed up that move in October with a $140 million funding round led by Softbank and a historic partnership with Driscoll's to give consumers fresh sweet strawberries year-round.

This year, Plenty plans to begin construction on the world's largest output vertical farm in Compton, California. Upon completion, the farm will be the size of a big box retail store and will grow over 700 acres of leafy green crops.

Vertical Field Has Signed A ‘Multi-Million Dollar’ Deal With Rami Levy Supermarkets To Offer Customers Fresh Produce Picked From Vertical Farms

The startup creates unique vertical plant installations made up of separate blocks of plants that can be rearranged at will

You’ve got kale: Grocery chain to sell salad leaves, herbs grown on ‘green wall’

By SHOSHANNA SOLOMON

12-13-20

Israeli startup Vertical Field has signed an accord with one of Israel’s largest supermarket chains to provide its stores with vertical farm installations, enabling customers to buy freshly grown produce such as lettuce and parsley.

Vertical Field, formerly called GreenWall Israel, said on Sunday that the “multi-million dollar agreement” with Rami Levy Hashikma Marketing 2006, a low-cost supermarket chain, will see the vertical farms installed at locations over the course of five years. The deal will enable the chain to sell produce grown locally, in Vertical Field’s proprietary soil-based container technology.

The startup creates unique vertical plant installations made up of separate blocks of plants that can be rearranged at will. This green wall of vegetation is suitable for growing vegetables in stores, offices and apartment buildings, or anywhere in urban areas, which have little space but many walls.

Produce grows vertically on the container’s walls, and according to the firm, minimizes both water consumption and use of soil. The plants are initially grown on tabletops and then planted into walls, where the soil is held via a special method.

The produce sold is grown in a sterile indoor environment without chemical pesticides or fertilizers, the statement said, and in controlled conditions, ensuring product consistency and yield throughout the year with no seasonality or weather effects.

An example of a vertical garden at the Vertical Field (formerly called GreenWall) greenhouse during a tour on March 23, 2016. (Melanie Lidman/Times of Israel)

Vertical gardens are part of a worldwide trend looking for ways to marry technology and agriculture in an attempt to feed an ever-expanding global population.

The deal with Rami Levy was signed after a successful pilot was held with the supermarket chain, the company said in a statement on Sunday.

The crops, which include lettuce, basil, parsley, kale, and mint, will be sold daily, directly to clients after harvest, “at competitive prices,” the statement added.

The walls will be in containers stationed outdoors, on the premises of the supermarkets. Customers will be able to buy the produce on the spot from a seller who will pick the produce from the container and hand it over, with payment happening on the spot.

Customers will also have the option of purchasing the produce with the soil bedding that it was grown in, “allowing the customers to enjoy all the nutritional benefits of a freshly harvested crop and a longer shelf life,” the statement said.

**Lettuce and parsley grown by Vertical Field (Courtesy)**

The containers are already stationed at Rami Levy stores in Bnei Brak, Ashdod, and Modiin, a spokeswoman for Vertical Field said.

The “vertical farm” was developed at the company’s research headquarters in Ra’anana, Israel.

“The portable urban farm that we have developed is designed to be located in indoor and outdoor spaces at supermarkets, restaurants, shopping malls, rooftops, and other on-premise locations,” said Guy Elitzur, the CEO of Vertical Field. “Over the past year, we conducted a number of successful pilot projects, and installed vertical farms adjacent to supermarkets and restaurants in the United States and Israel.”

This is the first supermarket chain that with the startup has reached an agreement, a spokeswoman said.

“Our customers bought Vertical Field’s produce during the pilot, and returned to purchase more,” said Yafit Attias Levy, VP Marketing at Rami Levy, said in a statement. “Therefore, we have decided to expand the partnership with Vertical Field to additional branches of the supermarket, and to offer fresh, high-quality, and pesticide-free produce in a way that increases shelf-life for our customers.”

Vertical Field was founded by Guy Barness in 2006.

Lead photo: A Vertical Field container stationed at the Tel Aviv port (Courtesy)

IGrow PreOwned 1/4/21 IGrow PreOwned 1/4/21

US: 17 Things You'll See In Every Grocery Store in 2021, According To Experts

2020 rocked the grocery store scene as we know it. Here are the new changes you can expect to stick around

2020 rocked the grocery store scene as we know it. Here are the new changes you can expect to stick around.

BY AMANDA MCDONALD

JANUARY 1, 2021

FACT CHECKED BY FAYE BRENNAN

Although we wish things in the grocery store like empty shelves, plexiglass shields, and capacity limits could stay behind in 2020 as we begin the new year, the coronavirus and its effects are still ravaging how we shop for food. Masks will still be required for a while, and senior shopping hours, Clorox disinfecting wipe shortages, and even social distancing are here to stay.

There are some intriguing supermarket changes to look forward to, though, says the Supermarket Guru, Phil Lempert. For over 25 years, he has been an author, speaker, and analyst on grocery store consumer behavior, marketing trends, new products, and more. We spoke with him and gathered other data to prepare you for what grocery stores will look like in 2021. (And before your next trip, check out the 100 Easiest Recipes You Can Make so you can add the ingredients to your list.)

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VIDEO: Click Here: Grocery Store Tricks of the Trade

1 - Less Delivery Options

Grocery delivery saw a huge increase in popularity this year because it is safer than shopping in-store. Chains updated their websites, apps, and click and collect services (like pickup lockers!). Some grocers even added pickup for the very first time.

Lempert believes this trend is temporary because some people simply prefer picking their own items, even if going inside the grocery store is considered to be more dangerous. With that said, the various types of grocery delivery options may be reduced.

For more on how to stay safe should you decide to go to your local supermarket, here are 10 Grocery Store Safety Tips From a Health Expert.

2 - More Robots

Meatpacking plants saw the number of coronavirus cases among workers skyrocket in 2020. Over 10,000 Tyson employees tested positive between March and July. Smithfield was fined thousands of dollars for outbreaks at its meatpacking plants, and other companies like Hormel, Cargill, National Beef, and more also saw employees get sick. Lempert believes this will pave the way for robots to have larger jobs in these types of facilities. But, you may also potentially see more robots working inside your local grocery store.

3 - Reservation Slots For Shopping Times

Expect to approach grocery shopping like going to a restaurant: You'll go to a reservation making website, then pick your preferred time to shop. Next, Lempert predicts that you'll be asked to select any non-produce grocery store items ("the stove-top stuffing, the Heinz ketchup," Lempert says) that you'll need during your trip so that those can be retrieved, bagged, and ready for you once you arrive for your reservation. At that point, you can peruse the produce aisles, then checkout.

All of this, of course, will be in an effort to reduce crowding and encourage social distancing. (Related: The Worst Grocery Stores of 2020.)

4 - New Grocery Store Sites

Because of the previous prediction, Lempert says grocery store websites are going to be significantly more detailed than they are now. "The data that's on most retailer's websites is horrible and outdated," he says. "The ingredients are typically wrong. The nutritional information is wrong. The product gets updated probably about once every nine months. That's not right."

One way some grocery chains are already using their platforms to help inspire change is by highlighting minority-owned food brands inside their stores.

5 - Less Space

Another huge change you can expect? A new layout! "The size of your grocery store will likely be cut in half, Lempert says. "The back half of the store will be fully robotic, and those robots will now be picking the items that you ordered online."

The front of the store will be all the fresh items you can shop for yourself, as well as the baker, butcher, and produce sales associates whom you can still ask for help. But this way, "You're going to be able to pick all those fresh foods that you want, and you're going to have a much better shopping experience," Lempert says.

6 - Less Time In-Store

Because of his new prediction about the way we will shop, customers will spend a lot less time inside shopping, Lempert says. One trip will consist of about 10 minutes picking out fresh produce and deli items, grabbing the bags of items from the center of the store that the robots packed up for you, and simply checking out.

Before 2020, Lempert thought it would take about three to five years for this change to happen, but because of the coronavirus pandemic, he says it will only take six or seven months.

In the meantime, know that More Grocery Shoppers are Making These Dangerous Mistakes, Survey Finds.

7 - More Comfort Foods

Kroger also released its predictions for what's in store for 2021, and one trend is the continued rise of comfort foods. Things like quick-cook risotto, white cheddar macaroni and cheese, and even brown butter truffle ice cream will be on shelves for you and your family. This trend dominated 2020, too. But as you shop, keep in mind The Shocking Side Effect of Eating Comfort Food.

8 - More Fresh And Prepared Foods

Convenience is key, especially during—and after—a pandemic. "We're buying frozen foods and more convenient offerings," Lempert says. "And if you look at the prepared foods offerings in the supermarket—the freshly prepared ones—they're going through the roof because people just want to microwave or put food in the oven."

That said, here are 12 Frozen Dinners to Always Leave on Grocery Store Shelves.

9 - Fewer Items To Choose From

Some of your favorite companies have downsized this year. Coca-Cola announced it's discontinuing 200 drink brands, Kraft-Heinz is cutting 20% of its products, and quite a few more are cutting down. Even if products return ever so slightly to normal production, the way factories are built now doesn't quite allow for safety measures to be implemented (that Lempert believes are here to stay).

For more, here are All of the Beloved Grocery Items That Are Secretly Being Discontinued.

10 - More Sustainable Products And Transparency

For the products that do make it to grocery store shelves in 2021, transparency about their ingredients and where they were grown or made will be important. Lempert says companies want to keep sustainability in mind with their products, and that will be reflected because, now, "we really don't have a choice" about whether or not to care about the environment. For more on this prediction, here are 20 Ways to Be More Sustainable When It Comes to Food.

11 - More Immune-Supporting Foods

Thanks to the influx of safety rules and regulations COVID-19 gave us, the experts at Kroger believe foods that help keep us healthy and support the immune and digestive system will see more popularity in 2021. On your next trip to one of the grocery store chain's almost 3,000 stores, look out for products like almond butter, organic sparkling kefir water, caffeinated water, and even elderberry gummies. (Related: The 7 Healthiest Foods to Eat Right Now.)

12 - More Self-Driving Trucks

Walmart started to test driverless trucks in Arkansas in 2019, and so far, those vehicles have driven more than 70,000 miles on their own (but with a safety driver inside), the grocery store chain says. Now, the initiative is moving to Louisiana.

Lempert believes this trend will expand next year because of the increased importance of sustainability, the cost, and much more. But, it's not just driverless grocery chain trucks you may see out and about: Walmart is also testing drone delivery.

13 - Fewer CBD Food Products

All the CBD items you saw sprouting up in your local supermarket this year may not have the same luck in 2021, Lempert says. This is because these products aren't regulated, so the amount of CBD in them ranges based on the manufacturer. Lempert does believe they will come back, though, once the government gets involved and forces companies to show the total CBD percentage and other information on labels. (Related: What Happens to Your Body on CBD.)

14 - Cleaner Ingredients In Alternative Meats

The number of meat alternative products that entered the market in 2020 has given shoppers tons of options. But, new options will contain a few other things besides just plant-based protein. "What we're really seeing is flexitarianism will be much more important," Lempert says. "It's not about extremes; being all-vegan or an omnivore."

This means you may see blended meat options, featuring both mushrooms and beef or cauliflower and pork. Until then, here are 33 Easy Plant-Based Recipes Even Carnivores Will Love.

15 - More ItemsFrom Restaurant Chains

"I think we're going to see a lot more restaurant-supermarket partnerships," Lempert says of grocery stores in 2021. "Prepackaged foods made fresh from the restaurant and delivered to the supermarket on a daily basis."

This is a win-win for both—especially as the restaurant industry continues to struggle because of the pandemic.

16 - A Bigger Emphasis On Health

Right now, the most super of supermarkets, aka Walmart, is starting to healthcare workers in New Mexico, with plans distribute one of the FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines to supply it at over 5,000 stores and pharmacies across the country. The Supermarket Guru says Walmart will continue to promote and grow the health clinics in their stores.

17 - More Indoor And Verticle Farming

You may not see these in your local grocery store, but they may be popping up just down the street thanks to now-empty office buildings that can be converted into indoor farms. "That's the perfect place to put in vertical farms because you can serve the population closer," says Lempert. "Produce also grows three times faster because it's in a controlled environment. Right now, most indoor farming is either tomatoes or leafy greens. But that's about to change."

IGrow PreOwned 12/29/20 IGrow PreOwned 12/29/20

ISRAEL: The Supermarkets That Have A Farm In The Parking Lot

“Our first Vertical Field farm at Rami Levy was launched in Modi’in. Now we have four farms at Rami Levy branches whose produce is already sold inside the supermarket

Four Israeli supermarkets sell their customer’s pesticide-free greens and herbs grown inside an indoor vertical farm set up in a trailer just outside their doors.

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By Abigail Klein Leichman

DECEMBER 14, 2020

When you buy supermarket veggies, you don’t know how far they traveled or when they left the farm. And that matters because picked produce loses nutritional potency rapidly.

Now, shoppers in four Israeli supermarkets can buy pesticide-free greens and herbs harvested from an indoor farm right on the premises.

This unusual setup comes courtesy of Israeli agri-tech business Vertical Field and the Rami Levy supermarket chain.

**A Vertical Field indoor farm at a Rami Levy supermarket in Israel. Photo courtesy of Vertical Field**

“Vertical Field has been operating in partnership with Rami Levy for approximately a year,” says Noa Winston, marketing director for Vertical Field.

“Our first Vertical Field farm at Rami Levy was launched in Modi’in. Now we have four farms at Rami Levy branches whose produce is already sold inside the supermarket,” Winston tells ISRAEL21c.

“Additionally, we have a farm at the Tel Aviv Port in collaboration with the city of Tel Aviv. We have plans to significantly expand our operations with Rami Levy and to open more farms over the course of 2021.”

The indoor farms raise leafy greens and herbs such as kale, lettuce, basil, cilantro, dill, parsley and peppermint. Bok choy and spinach are now being planted.

**Leafy greens and herbs growing in a Vertical Field farm at a Rami Levy supermarket.Photo courtesy of Vertical Field**

The space-saving vertical containers grow the plants in soil under LED lighting from BioLed EcoLight Systems based at Kibbutz Tzuba. (BioLed also provides the lighting for Energy Boxes that Innovation: Africa provides to off-grid African schools and health centers.)

The Ra’anana-based company says that indoor vertical farming uses 90 percent less water than traditional field farming and saves as much as 20 days’ time from seeding to harvest in a typical growth cycle. The system is weather- and pest-resistant.

Vertical Field has two installations in New York State – at a supermarket and a restaurant – and has ambitious expansion plans.

“Our goal is to penetrate the global market,” says Winston. “We have begun that process starting with the United States, where we have two farms, and we plan to continue to expand there. We are also currently developing several promising projects both in the field of vertical urban farms as well as vertical landscaping that will be launched in the USA, in Europe, and other regions.”

Lead photo: These boxes of Vertical Field greens say, “Grown and picked here and now,” because they are raised on the supermarket premises. Photo courtesy of Vertical field

IGrow PreOwned 12/29/20 IGrow PreOwned 12/29/20

UAE: Vertical Farming Firm Reveals Plan To Launch Healthy Food Brand

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

23 Dec 2020

Sarya Holdings Says Fit Farm Will

Hit Supermarket Shelves In The First Quarter of 2021

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.

IGrow PreOwned 12/14/20 IGrow PreOwned 12/14/20

Vertical Farming Modules Take Hyperlocal To New Heights

One of the largest and fastest-growing vertical farming platforms in the world, Infarm’s smart farming modules are bringing a whole new meaning to the word “hyperlocal.”

Cultivating by Artificial intelligence,

These Vertical Farming Modules Are

Bringing Fresh Herbs And Leafy Greens Straight To The Consumer

December 7, 2020

By Greta Chiu

Infarm modules grow fresh herbs and leafy greens by automation, partnering with grocery retailers worldwide.

One of the largest and fastest-growing vertical farming platforms in the world, Infarm’s smart farming modules are bringing a whole new meaning to the word “hyperlocal.”

Best recognized for their grocery store installations that have appeared all over the globe, shoppers are able to watch the growing process and pick from fresh herbs and leafy greens immediately after harvest. Maintained by machine learning and AI technology, each standalone vertical farming unit is continuously monitored and tweaked to ensure optimal growing conditions.

“We control our farms remotely using sensors and a centralized, cloud-based platform that adjusts and improves itself continuously, so each plant grows better than the one before – providing plant seedlings with an ideal combination of light spectrums, temperature, pH, and nutrients for optimal growth,” explains Emmanuel Evita, global communications director for Infarm.

Using machine learning, big data and IoT technologies, the Berlin, Germany-based company is able to collect large amounts of data from their farms around the world in real-time, amounting to more than 50,000 data points within a plant’s lifetime. And the modules aren’t just for grocery stores. Infarm says their easily scalable and rapidly deployable technology has been set up in distribution centres, restaurants and other urban spaces to match local needs.

“With more than 1,000 farms in stores and distribution centers, we’re able to use the data on each one of more than 500,000 plants we grow every month to understand their unique growth patterns and offer the highest quality product to consumers,” says Evita.

The company is deeply committed to improving the safety, quality and environmental footprint of food production. Offering an ever-expanding catalogue with over 65 different combinations of herbs, microgreens and leafy greens, the range of products includes cooking staples like Italian basil to specialty varieties such as wasabi rucola. Infarm’s plants are also grown without the use of chemical pesticides and are locally germinated in their nursery farms. The seedlings are then cultivated in-store for another three to four weeks to maturity before being offered to consumers. The vertical farming units are said to require 95 per cent less water, 90 per cent less transportation and 75 per cent less fertilizer compared to conventional soil-based agriculture. 90 per cent of electricity used by the Infarm network is sourced from renewable energy, and the company has set a target to reach zero-emission food production next year.

“We save thousands of food kilometres by not shipping from abroad, removing trucks from the road, and increasing the resilience of the global food system with every farm we install. Our approach supports biodiversity by reducing and almost eliminating the supply chain of food,” says Evita.

Landing in Canada
Infarm partnered with Empire Company Ltd. and begin rolling out installations in select Sobeys, Safeway and Thrifty Foods in British Columbia earlier this year.

“Our partnership with Infarm is unique in Canada and offers our customers a world-leading urban farming solution,” says Niluka Kottegoda, vice president of customer experience at Sobeys. “By the end of September, we will have fully functional vertical farming units in 28 of our Safeway and Thrifty Foods stores in the Vancouver and Victoria areas with several additional stores carrying the harvested herbs and lettuce.”

Kottegoda says their customers have been responding very well to this urban farming solution. “Not only do they appreciate the sustainable nature of the farms, but they certainly love having access to the freshest possible leafy greens and herbs all year long.” Empire expects to bring Infarm installations into Toronto soon, with a national rollout on the horizon.

Taking the world by storm
First established in 2013 by Osnat Michaeli and brothers Erez and Guy Galonska to help cities become self-sufficient in food production, Berlin-based Infarm now has operations in 10 countries and 30 cities worldwide. Over the past year, they’ve partnered with 30 of the largest retailers in the world, including Albert Heijn (Netherlands), Aldi Süd (Germany), Amazon Fresh, COOP/Irma (Denmark), Empire Company Ltd (Canada), Kaufland (Germany), Kinokuniya (Japan), Kroger (United States), Marks & Spencer (United Kingdom), Selfridges (United Kingdom) as well as others in France, Luxembourg, and Switzerland.

In September, Infarm announced another $170 million in the first close of a funding round expected to reach $200 million. That will bring in over $300 million of funding to date.

By investing this capital into infrastructure, research and development, the company expects to grow their installations by 10 per cent, reaching over 5,000,000 sq. ft. in the next five years.

“The coronavirus pandemic has put a global spotlight on the urgent agricultural and ecological challenges of our time,” says Erez Galonska, co-founder and CEO of Infarm. “As we scale to 5,000,000 sq. ft. in farming facilities across Europe, North America and Asia by 2025, this investment will help us make a truly global impact through our network, preserving the thousands of acres of land, millions of liters of water and ultimately change the way people grow, eat and think about food.”

Topics: Handling Systems Retail Vegetables

IGrow PreOwned 12/11/20 IGrow PreOwned 12/11/20

US: NEW YORK: Wall-To-Fork Fresh Produce Comes To Monsey

The iconic Evergreen Market is debuting a revolutionary 20-foot high geoponic (soil-based) wall farm that lets customers not only choose clean, fresh-picked produce but also see exactly where it comes from

NEW VERTICAL FIELD URBAN FARM SYSTEM AT EVERGREEN MARKET MEANS TASTY, HEALTHY AND BUG-FREE SUSTAINABLE PRODUCE 365 DAYS A YEAR

[Monsey, NY, DEC 9, 2020] – The world of freshly harvested greens and herbs is looking up – literally – in Monsey, NY. The iconic Evergreen Market is debuting a revolutionary 20-foot high geoponic (soil-based) wall farm that lets customers not only choose clean, fresh-picked produce but also see exactly where it comes from.

The pesticide-free lettuce, kale, arugula, basil, and cilantro from Evergreen’s on-site farm are sold at competitive prices in individual pots, making the “buying local” experience more convenient than ever. Pesticide-free and grown in soil that is never exposed to bugs, all products are Star-K Kosher Certified for purity.

“We are gratified to be the first kosher supermarket in the country to introduce the Vertical farm,” said Malki Levine of Evergreen. “Our customers are very much looking forward to buying fresh produce that is grown in our own backyard rather than being transported on long hauls from farms across the country. They will also appreciate the significantly reduced level of infestation, a major concern of kosher consumers.”

Shoppers can visit the thriving vertical farm when they visit the store. The state-of-the-art system features a controlled, sterile environment with soil beds containing a proprietary mix of minerals and nutrients. Advanced sensors constantly monitor, irrigate, and fertilize the crops throughout every growth stage.

Evergreen’s wall farm is the latest installation from Vertical Field (www.verticalfield.com), an Israeli ag-tech company that produces innovative vertical agricultural solutions that help the environment, improve human health conditions, and make fresh, delicious produce available all year round.

Geoponic (soil-based) vertical farming yields a new crop every few days, ensuring that fresh greens and herbs will always be in season in Monsey. The sustainable and eco-friendly method produces cleaner, healthier, tastier veggies than those shipped from miles away. And, reduced soil-to-plate time means a longer shelf life and fewer hands involved – a welcome benefit in the age of Covid-19.

“We are extremely excited with the partnership with Evergreen,” said Guy Elitzur, the CEO of Vertical Field. “They are precisely the type of supermarket that has the right customer base and will successfully integrate the latest technological advances in geoponic farming.”

About Vertical Field: Vertical Field is a leading ag-tech provider of vertical farming and active landscaping solutions for urban environments and smart cities. The company is operated by professionals, agronomists, researchers, and a multi-disciplinary team, enabling the development of smart plant-based solutions that combine the best of design and manufacturing, smart computerized monitoring, soil-based technology, water and lighting technology, and more. Vertical Field delivers next-generation vertical farming systems for a global clientele, including Facebook, Intel, Apple, Isrotel, Microsoft, and many more. Vertical Field is currently also on-site at Farmers And Chefs Restaurant in Poughkeepsie, NY, supplying fresh greens for the Chef's creative, locally-sourced menu.

About Evergreen: Located in Town Square in the heart of Monsey, NY, Evergreen is 30,000 square feet of grocery, butcher, bakery, health food, fish, produce, sushi, full-service deli & prepared foods. The store provides wide aisles, huge product selection & competitive prices. Evergreen is a shopping destination that combines the friendliness of a neighborhood grocery with the value and convenience of a state-of-the-art specialty supermarket. Evergreen also has a similar store in Lakewood, NJ, and will soon be opening its third major market in Pomona NY.

IGrow PreOwned 12/4/20 IGrow PreOwned 12/4/20

Infarm Drives Expansion of Urban Farming in Japan

The first farms will be installed by Infarm at Summit's Gotanno location, in conjunction with the store's rebuilding in December 2020, and produce will be available for purchase at Summit Gotanno store at the end of January 2021

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Infarm

02 Dec, 2020

Infarm's rapid growth in Asia continues with new agreement to offer freshly-harvested produce to Summit supermarkets in the Tokyo metropolitan area

Following partnerships announced with East Japan Railway Company (JR East), food retailer, Kinokuniya and distributor Muroo Co. Ltd, Infarm produce to appear at partner retail locations starting in January 2021.

TOKYO, Dec. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Infarm, the world's fastest-growing urban farming network, announced today a partnership with Summit Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation Group to offer fresh produce grown and harvested at the company's Summit Store (supermarket), one of Tokyo's leading supermarket chains. With annual revenue (as of March 2020) of USD 3B, Summit Inc. has 120 retail locations across the Tokyo metropolitan area. The first farms will be installed by Infarm at Summit's Gotanno location, in conjunction with the store's rebuilding in December 2020, and produce will be available for purchase at Summit Gotanno store at the end of January 2021.

This announcement marks Infarm's second major partnership in Japan. The company first expanded into the market through partnerships with East Japan Railway Company (JR East), food retailer, Kinokuniya, and national food distributor, Muroo Co. Ltd, announced in February 2020. Infarm produce will first be available to Kinokuniya consumers on January 19, 2021, at the Aoyama International flagship store and on January 23, 2021, at the Nishi-Ogikubo store located at the JR Nishiogikubo station. Additional Kinokuniya stores are expected to follow through 2021.

"We are very pleased to partner with Infarm. Since last year, we have been communicating with Erez and Mr. Hiraishi, and our business vision and chemistry matched with each other, which led to this partnership. We look forward to serving our customers with Infarm vegetables at our Gotanno store, an important flagship store for Summit," commented Junpei Yamamoto, Executive Officer of Summit Inc.

2020-01-23-11-52-marksandspencerinfarmsinstoreverticalfarmingstacks_cropped_90.jpg

"Japan's busy urban centers present a unique opportunity to improve the way millions of people get access to fresh, sustainable produce. We're proud to partner with Summit as we continue to grow in this dynamic market. Summit's commitment to offering high-quality food to customers at all price points, while reducing waste and making shopping enjoyable, aligns perfectly with Infarm's vision to make fresh nutritious food available to everyone," commented Erez Galonska, co-founder and CEO of Infarm.

According to some estimates, Japan relies on imports for about 60% of its food, contributing to a tremendous amount of cumulative food miles, while annual food waste has been estimated to have reached more than 6.12 million tons[1]. In addition, Japan has one of the highest rates of pesticide use in the world according to estimates offered by the FAO.[2] By partnering closely with Japanese clients, Infarm hopes to make a positive contribution to retailer efforts to reduce the negative environmental impact of produce with fresh food that is grown as closely as possible to the point of consumption.

"We continue to experience positive momentum in Japan and believe our approach to farming will be attractive to Tokyo consumers. Our clients can be sure that our harvesters have taken care of each plant as if it were in their very own garden, full of flavour and pesticide-free. We're convinced that Infarm shoppers will taste and notice the difference," said Ikuo C. Hiraishi, Managing Director, Infarm Japan.

Infarm has developed the world's most advanced, easily scalable and rapidly deployable modular farms that can transform any retail space and fulfil any market demand. Each in-store farm offers a controlled environment with growing recipes that bring out the natural flavour and properties of each plant.

The individual farms are connected and remotely controlled from a central farming platform that gathers up-to-the-minute information about each plant's growth and learns, adjusts and improves itself continuously, so each plant grows better than the one before.

Infarm staff regularly visit the farms to harvest mature plants, place them at the point of sale, and plant new seedlings for the next cycle. Consumers have access to the plants at their freshest points, still alive with their roots, free of pesticides and full of nutrients and flavour.

"Flavour for me is a primary concern - as I want to offer each of my customers a unique experience that both surprises and delights the palate. Being able to use herbs and lettuces freshly harvested from Infarm gives me a personal garden to be creative and make my dishes sparkle - it's an experience that can really transform your cooking as a chef or for your family at home," said Tim Raue, Infarm client and Michelin-starred chef of Restaurant Tim Raue in Berlin.

Founded in 2013, Infarm is one of the world's largest urban farming platforms harvesting and distributing more than 500,000 plants each month across its network. Infarm currently operates across Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States and Switzerland where it has deployed more than 1,200 farms in stores and distribution centres. Since 2013 the company has raised more than 300 million USD.

About Infarm

Infarm was founded in Berlin in 2013 by Osnat Michaeli and the brothers Erez and Guy Galonska. Passionate to become self-sufficient and eat better, they were growing their own food, enjoying all the flavour and nutrients, without the chemical pesticides and transport kilometres. With the aim to share the goodness of own-grown produce with everyone, they developed a smart modular farming system, that allows distribution of farms throughout the urban environment, growing fresh produce in any available space and fulfilling any market demand. Today, with cutting edge R&D, patented technologies, and a leading multi-disciplinary team, Infarm is growing a worldwide farming network helping cities become self-sufficient in their food production while significantly improving the safety, quality, and environmental footprint of our food.

With a multinational team of 700 people globally, Infarm has partnered with more than 30 major food retailers including Albert Heijn, Aldi Süd, Amazon Fresh, Auchan, Casino, E.Leclerc, Edeka, Empire Company Ltd (Safeway, Sobeys, ThriftyFoods), Farmdrop, Intermarché, Irma, Kaufland, Kinokuniya, Kroger, Marks & Spencer, Metro, Migros, Selfridges, Selgros, Summit and Whole Foods Market in Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States and Switzerland, deployed more than 1200 farms in stores and distribution centres, saved more than 40,000,000 litres of water and 50,000 square meters of land, while harvesting 500,000+ plants monthly and growing.

About Summit

Summit Inc. was established in 1963 in Tokyo, 100% owned by Sumitomo Corporation. Summit has spread across the Tokyo metropolitan area with 120 supermarkets. The annual revenue as of March 2020 is USD 3B.

[1] https://www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/publicity/book/hlj/html/202005/202005_09_en.html

[2] http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/EP/visualize

SOURCE Infarm

IGrow PreOwned 11/27/20 IGrow PreOwned 11/27/20

“Experimentation, Learning By Doing And Listening To Others Is Key For Any Entrepreneur”: Interview With Infarm’s Co-Founder Osnat Michaeli

Osnat Michaeli is co-founder and CMO of the fast-growing German agritech scaleup, Infarm. Since 2013, the Berlin-based startup has grown to be one of the world’s fastest-growing urban farming networks

By Arnaud Terrisse

November 20, 2020

Where did the food on your plate come from? Was it from a neighboring EU region, or perhaps a vertical urban farm around the corner in your city?

Osnat Michaeli is co-founder and CMO of the fast-growing German agritech scaleup, Infarm. Since 2013, the Berlin-based startup has grown to be one of the world’s fastest-growing urban farming networks. In September 2020, Infarm announced a €144 million investment, raised in the first close of a Series C funding round, which is expected to reach around €169 million. Right now they’ve grown to a team of 400+ employees, an impressive feat in 7 years.

This scaleup has covered a lot of ground and has garnered new interest since the pandemic set in and we collectively started thinking more about our food systems. So let’s jump into the interview, to get her insights on scaling a fast-growing team, the future of foodtech, and advice for fellow founders.

Hello Osnat, thank you for being with us today. Could you please give us a short overview about how you became an entrepreneur as well as why you founded Infarm?

Just under a decade ago, my two co-founders (Erez and Guy Galonska) and I started Infarm with a mission: to help cities become self-sufficient in their food production while improving the safety, quality, and environmental footprint of our food. We had just moved to Berlin, bought a 1955 Airstream trailer, outfitted it with DIY growing shelves, and started experimenting with indoor farming. Soon we began to build modular, vertical farming units that could be installed in any urban environment, including supermarkets, restaurants, distribution centers, and other urban spaces, as close as possible to where food is consumed.

Infarm is based in Berlin. What is your opinion on the environment for creating a tech company there?

We owe a great debt to the Berlin community who received us and welcomed our vision to challenge the status quo in how we transport, plant and harvest our produce in cities.

Moreover, the growth of Europe’s most dynamic tech hubs – London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Helsinki, Dublin, and others along with the accompanying inflow of investment is driving a steady reorientation of talent, not only from Europe but from countries outside of Europe – including my native Israel – to help meet demand. Our business, which requires highly trained individuals in plant biology and plant science also benefits from the pool of Master’s and Ph.D. candidates so plentiful in European markets, including here in Berlin.

Infarm has announced recently closing a €144 million Series C funding round. What are your future plans with such capital?

We believe Infarm has the potential for mass expansion across the world. We have big ambitions, aiming to reach more than 5,000,000 square feet of growing facilities by 2025, and in doing so becoming the largest distributed farming network in the world.

This news comes amidst growing concerns about a second COVID-19 wave. What steps have you taken to safeguard your operations and teams?

What we found was that our farming model was quite resilient, allowing us to respond quickly to the needs of our clients, many of whom themselves were also moving quickly to establish procedures for producer and customer interaction within their retail spaces. We were able to alternate easily to direct delivery of fresh produce from our local hubs where needed if direct store access to our employees or our farms was limited. Across our global network, each of our farms is connected to the cloud, allowing us to monitor plant performance, growing environment, and make adjustments remotely. We developed a system to guide local teams through farm installation remotely when our installation teams were unable to travel, further minimizing any potential impact from the changing pandemic environment to our operations.

In our offices, as our work environment increasingly became more remote, we began to use office space more creatively, dedicating more space in our Berlin headquarters for example, to areas like marketing, packaging, and product design, while establishing a greater number of remote workstations so employees who needed to work on-site could easily do so. We also looked for and found more opportunities to communicate across our teams, not only in terms of regular updates relating to the changing environment, but through groups where we checked in on one another, shared playlists and successful lunchtime dishes, and participated in virtual get-togethers to maintain a sense of community.

Over the years, Infarm has grown to more than 600 employees. What tips would you give to someone who wants to build a solid team?

When starting out, it’s important to find the right partners who inspire you, partners whom you trust and you enjoy working with. My co-founders and I elevate one another. We each have a different area of focus and expertise, whether that be branding, operations or technology. We create more together than anything we could possibly produce apart. This is also true for the investors, mentors and employees you bring along. Today, we’ve grown our workforce to hundreds of employees and have brought together people from all kinds of backgrounds and disciplines—data scientists, designers, engineers, scientists and more— as inclusivity and diversity in talent is key.

In your opinion, how is the vertical farming ecosystem doing now compared to when you started?

Back when we first started out, vertical farming was intriguing as a concept for many, but we couldn’t have imagined that a few years later we would be partnering with some of the largest retailers in the world. Our assumptions at the time were that retailers and their customers would be attracted to the taste and freshness of produce that grew right in front of them in the produce section, in our farms. What we didn’t anticipate was how much and how quickly the demand for a sustainable, transparent, and modular approach to farming would grow as we, as society, begin to feel the impact of climate change and supply chain fragility upon our lives, our choices and our food. Of course, we also did not anticipate a global pandemic, which has underscored the urgency of building a new food system that can democratize access to high quality, amazing tasting food, while helping our planet regenerate and heal. The past few months have confirmed the flexibility and resilience of our farming model, and that our mission is more relevant than ever.

What is it like to build a company from the ground up with Erez and Guy?

It’s great to be able to work with someone you trust, and we’re all very lucky to have found one another to build this together.

What is your advice to young entrepreneurs looking to kick off their own agtech company?

Passion for what you’re doing is the best foundation. Being an entrepreneur is an ongoing learning process that involves lots of research, trial, and error. You have to love it and keep learning new things because the need to be open to learning and exploring just accelerates over the years as you grow. Experimentation, learning by doing, and listening to others is key for any entrepreneur. We learned so much by experimenting with the hydroponic systems we built ourselves. We also gained powerful insights from being active in the food and innovation community by hosting interactive installations, making food, conducting workshops, joining debates, and meeting with many inspiring urban planners, designers, food activists, bio-dynamic farmers, architects, chefs, and hackers.

It’s vital to stay focused and enjoy the journey. All entrepreneurs know that there is always the possibility that they might have set-backs, but it’s not constructive to concentrate on that. Stay positive, focus on where you’re going, choose your partners well and the right people and opportunities will cross your path.

TAGS: founder advice funding INFARM startup advice urban farming

IGrow PreOwned 11/12/20 IGrow PreOwned 11/12/20

Infarm Raises $200 Million To Add “Farm” to Cities

heir environment-controlled and automated growing chambers grow food such as leafy greens inside the supermarket, so it’s fresh, without your food accumulating food miles

November 10, 2020, by Karin Kloosterman in Food

***Infarm’s Israeli founders take on Berlin and the farm to table movement with high-tech farms.***

Infarm, a company that grows fresh produce inside supermarkets, has recently announced a $170 million USD funding round to help the company expand across Europe. Their environment-controlled and automated growing chambers grow food such as leafy greens inside the supermarket, so it’s fresh, without your food accumulating food miles.

The company was founded by three Israelis in Berlin in 2013, and they announced this astounding investment achievement despite the Covid plague destroying global markets. Food, we understood, is something that must stay constant. The need for food which is grown locally, and available fresh now resonates at a time of uncertainty and the basic need for survival.

The company has raised $200 million USD total in their Series C round funding which was by LGT Lightstone, Hanaco, Bonnier, Haniel, and Latitude, Atomico, TriplePoint Capital, Mons Capital, and Astanor Ventures.

With a mix of equity and debt financing, the fresh capital brings Infarm’s total funding to date to more than $300 million, underscoring consumer and retailer appetite for Infarm’s approach to fresh, sustainable, and local food production in the wake of this year’s pandemic.

By 2025, Infarm’s farming fridge network is expected to reach more than 5,000,000 square feet to become the largest distributed hydroponic network in the world as it builds towards helping cities become self-sufficient in their food production. Competition includes Freight Farms in the US, and BrightFarms, also American.

“The coronavirus pandemic has put a global spotlight on the urgent agricultural and ecological challenges of our time,” says Erez Galonska, Co-founder and CEO of Infarm. His brother Guy Galonska is also a founder: “At Infarm, we believe there’s a better, healthier way to feed our cities: increasing access to fresh, pure, sustainable produce, grown as close as possible to people,” adds Erez.

The investment will be used to deepen the regional and local penetration of Infarm’s global farming network and complete development of Infarm’s new generation of vertical cloud-connected farms, capable of generating the crop-equivalent of acres of farmland and amplifying the diversity of produce currently available through vertical farming. Vertical farming is also known as hydroponic farming or controlled environment agriculture.

The technology has become developed and well-known over the years thanks to cannabis growers who used this energy-intensive and “stealth” mode of farming to grow cannabis with high concentrations of the active ingredient THC. When it was illegal to grow in Canada, young entrepreneurs were inspired by early blueprints from NASA and farming in space and found ways to set up a soil-less system in basements and closets. To their surprise, they could grow better quality cannabis, faster as inputs such as lighting, humidity, and nutrients could be tightly controlled.

And growing food became the next natural step for people who wanted to grow fresh food year-round even though it’s usually not cost-effective to grow tomatoes or lettuce this way unless you do it at scale.

Hydroponics and variations of it, using just water, a semi-solid coir medium or Styrofoam and/or with fish added, has become the promise for growing food in far-flung locations like Antarctica and food deserts where chocolate bars are available at bodegas, but fresh greens are not. This is according to mothers I have met in Harlem, New York. The hydroponic method is not that complicated at all in theory but in practice, it is hard to achieve good results without know-how in chemistry, engineering, and biology.

An integration of advanced engineering, software, and farming technology, the Infarm farms will save labour, land, water, energy, and food-miles, while contributing to a more sustainable food system, the company proposes.

Partnering with Aldi, Marks & Spencer, Sobeys

While companies like Farmigo founded in New York (also by an Israeli) wanted to put supermarkets out of business, in the past year Infarm has been working to keep them relevant and formed new partnerships with the world’s largest retailers, including Albert Heijn (Netherlands), Aldi Süd (Germany), COOP/Irma (Denmark), Empire Company Ltd (Sobeys, Safeway, Thrifty Foods – Canada), Kinokuniya (Japan), Kroger (United States), Marks & Spencer (United Kingdom) and Selfridges (United Kingdom).

With operations across 10 countries and 30 cities worldwide, Infarm harvests 500,000+ plants monthly, while using 99.5% less space than soil-based agriculture, some 95% less water, 90% less transport, and zero chemical pesticides. Today, 90% of the electricity use throughout the Infarm network is from renewable energy and the company has set a target to reach zero emissions from their production next year.

With the cost of lighting typically very high in hydroponics systems, I’d be curious to know how they will do that without buying carbon credits. Consider this Stanford research paper that mentioned the cost of hydroponic lettuce to be about 8KG of carbon compared to 150g if grown conventionally. The research is a few years old and certainly, there can be ways to improve energy efficiencies.

What organic farmers think?

Proponents of organic farming, regenerative agriculture, and permaculture don’t love hydroponics farming because it relies on petroleum-based fertilizers and nutrients as additives, and while there may be no or few bugs in the grow chambers, there is a risk of fungus and bacteria; in nature, there is always free natural sun (unless you are in Finland in the winter) and natural interactions between plant, soil; and even among small biota like mycorrhizal fungi which play a role in the uptake of micronutrients to the roots and the overall essence of what we call a plant. There is one school of thought that says the “organic” label can only be applied to soil-based farming. Lawyers are debating the issue now.

The answer will be somewhere in the middle. Like most things in life the middle way will help us. The dream is many one-acre regenerative farms to feed us healthily and to feed the planet too but meanwhile there is a gap. How do we feed everyone else who can’t afford to buy at Whole Foods?

We need to improve our local supply chain for food. When you live in a country like Israel, Egypt or Jordan with ample sun, growing food inside a supermarket fridge makes no sense, although hydroponics does. See this project in Jordan, funded by the USAID. Or the one that has changed lives in Harlem.

I had a hydroponics robotics venture (see this article on Bloomberg) and I took it to New York a few years ago and found myself running in circles trying to explain why eating local is good for the planet, it’s good for a circular economy that might one day be about survival. Venture Capitalists laughed at me. They said my technology and vision was a vitamin and not a bandaid –– “a nice to have” but not “a necessary to have”, especially in cities like New York. Then Covid thinking happened.

Here is what investors in Infarm say now (and kudos to the team who worked hard building physical farms and maintaining the pilots):

“We are excited to partner with the Infarm team to accelerate their urban vertical farm vision, ultimately creating a more sustainable food system for a growing population,” says Dharmash Mistry, Partner of LGT Lightstone: “With over $1bn of customer demand, partnerships with 17 of the top 50 global grocers, Infarm is set to revolutionise the market behind a unique ‘demand led’ modular business model.”

Let’s hope. Another Israeli called Benzi Ronen came from Silicon Valley and started a farm-to-table venture in New York and was on top of the world. He had just raised $26 million to grow Farmigo into the Amazon for fresh food and I spoke with him at one point when he warned me to stay in Israel and work there locally for a couple of years before moving stateside. That’s me in the biodome below, growing bok choy for future Martians on my roof in Tel Aviv. I didn’t listen.

I had a venture in robotics to help cannabis farmers (even Mars farmers grow cannabis in space – see this article in Fast Company) and city hydroponic farmers. Farmigo was trying to eliminate supermarkets, by connecting farmers to consumers at drop off points throughout the city. The model was valorous –– who doesn’t want the freshest farm picked veggies every morning? The modern CSA? And it supported local farming, just like what Michael Pollan wants us to do. And to compete with Amazon? Yes. Yes. Yes.

Farmigo raised millions and then the company’s vision to be the Amazon of fresh food could not compete with Amazon. Farmigo changed its business model and now sells software.

I saw the challenges of the business in supplying fresh food. The mechanics of the machines, the lack of willing labor, software needed, the logistics, the importance of food safety. The fungus, the bacteria. The good bacteria. The bad. The responsibility. The chemicals needed to feed the plants, to keep the systems “clean” and safe. So much is hard to control when you are talking about living things.

I always said that if hydroponics or farmers that come from Microsoft want to make city farming work the model will look like the cellphone industry: different players supplying various parts like Qualcomm, Verizon, 3M, Broadcom, and Texas Instruments does. Even to make iPhones work.

Can and will Infarm do it all?

“We see a massive demand in the market for sustainable, environment-friendly, and healthy food – and Infarm has just the right team in place to make this happen,” says Pasha Romanovski, Co-founding Partner of Hanaco Ventures.

More about Infarm

Founded in Berlin in 2013 by Osnat Michaeli and the brothers Erez and Guy Galonska, Infarm is dedicated to creating a future where local super fresh produce is available for everyone. The farms are placed in various locations in the city, like supermarkets, restaurants, and distribution centers, so that vegetables grow and are harvested close to the moment of purchase or consumption. People like Elon Musk’s brother Kimbal Musk has been doing this in New York with a project called Square Roots. They train young entrepreneurs to dream up all sorts of business models inside the shipping container farms built by Freight Farms.

Some in the VC world I have talked with question the viability of the business model of these containers. While it’s a nice idea it’s hard to get the return on the upfront investment.

But when it comes to specialty products and “farms” you can find the Infarm service model in all sorts of permutations in the United States. I got to spend some ample time in meetups with a pile of entrepreneurs building an urban farming project in New York. There I met Andrew Carter, now growing mushrooms in a warehouse in Williamsburg. There is also Farm.One which grows papalo, minutina and all the boutique and hipster greens any chef could dream up in the center of New York City. They deliver.

Lastly and most easily is to try out growing fresh greens at home without the supermarket, or less of the supermarket. I met the founder of Hamama when she was in Israel via MIT helping kids in Israel grow their own food using hydroponics at The Greenhouse. (After I wrote this story in 2008 <— kids from the US were writing me about how to donate their Bar Mitzva money to Noam Geva).

Over at The Greenhouse Camille had her head inside an aeroponics system she’d rigged up last time I saw her. She brought a few of her MIT geek friends over to my house in Jaffa and we talked about hydroponics changing the world. And now she helps people in the easiest way to grow microgreens at home. That’s a hyper simplified way to do hydroponics. She was one of the most inspiring people I met in hydroponics and urban farming.

In fact many in the business are. They are people who want to change the world. Have you met Henry?

Go out and meet someone, start a farm. Grow something. That’s how we change the world.

Now over to Infarm: good luck!

IGrow PreOwned 10/31/20 IGrow PreOwned 10/31/20

Packer 25 2020 — Marc Oshima Thinks Big

Oshima is co-founder and chief marketing officer of indoor vertical grower AeroFarms, Newark, N.J.

Amy Sowder

October 26, 2020

Oshima is co-founder and chief marketing officer of indoor vertical grower AeroFarms, Newark, N.J.

Yet Oshima and his company do more than grow leafy greens: He is trying to improve the industry as a whole.

“My passion and focus, and what we’re trying to do with AeroFarms, is how do we increase consumption and how do we help the industry move forward?” Oshima said.

Founded in 2004 in Ithaca, N.Y., AeroFarms’ 170-member team of science experts and warehouse employees creates the aeroponic and lighting technology for growing leafy greens by misting nutrient-filled water under LED lights.

The produce is sold at major retailers — such as Shop Rite and FreshDirect in the Northeast — in the urban vicinity of its farms and joint-venture farms in Ithaca, Newark, Chicago, Seattle, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

“We actually do proprietary research for major Fortune 500 companies to be able to help them solve their ag supply-chain needs. We’ve grown over 850 types of crops,” Oshima said.

Hear more from Oshima in this video interview.

Oshima’s far-reaching, global perspective was planted at a young age through extensive travel and exploring the foods of other cultures.

“That’s always given me an appreciation for our differences and the things that unite us,” he said.

Half Japanese and half German, Oshima studied East Asian studies at Columbia University to learn more about his Japanese identity, which was whitewashed after his father and that side of the family were held at Japanese internment camps in California in the 1940s.

After graduation, Oshima’s job at a media research company opened his eyes to the world of marketing, so he returned to Columbia for a master’s degree in business administration.

He then managed brands at Kraft and L’Oreal and led the marketing department for Toys “R” Us in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

Oshima’s introduction to the food industry began when he became marketing director for The Food Emporium under the A&P banner.

He was then vice president of marketing for Citarella, named by Gourmet Retailer magazine as one of the top 50 specialty food retailers in the U.S.Soon after, Oshima met David Rosenberg and co-founded AeroFarms with him and Cornell science professor Ed Harwood.

Their mission-driven company became a Certified B Corp. to focus on how businesses can be a force for good by using a scorecard and framework that applies across industries.

“One of the things that’s really important is that we have a common language about how we think about problems, but more importantly, solutions,” Oshima said.

Oshima is a smart guy with a generous spirit who benefits the whole fresh-produce industry, said Cathy Burns, CEO of the Produce Marketing Association, where Oshima is a board member.“

I can’t say enough about his innovative thinking and his marketing experience. Those two are a powerful combination if you think about the work that the produce industry is doing to address problems in the supply chain, sustainable packaging, food safety, and water,” Burns said. “Having his voice contribute to solutions helps PMA’s vision to make a better world.”

Oshima’s company is involved in the World Economic Forum and United Nations Sustainable Development Group and develops curriculum with Cornell and Rutgers universities. He’s on the board of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Food Safety Coalition.

Oshima was a member of the Food and Drug Administration romaine task force and works closely with the Foundation of Food & Agriculture Research’s Precision Indoor Plant consortium.

“This is an exciting time for us as a company and the work we’re doing because it’s no longer about urban farming or indoor vertical farming, but agriculture overall,” Oshima said.

Lead photo: Courtesy AeroFarms; graphic by Amelia Freidline

AeroFarms repeats Fast Company awardsIndoor farm companies rank high on FoodTech 500 list

VIDEO: NJ-based AeroFarms receives sustainability award, launches microgreens

IGrow PreOwned 10/23/20 IGrow PreOwned 10/23/20

Farm.One Launches Latest NYC Vertical Mini-Farm At Whole Foods Market, Manhattan West

Farm.One custom-designed the farm for the Manhattan West store and maintains the on-site mini-farm to supply the in-store prepared food and beverages with freshly grown and harvested Blue Spice Basil

Blog, News from Fluence by monique

Establishes A New Distributed Urban Agriculture Model To Support

Onsite Farms For Grocers, Restaurants,

And Other Businesses In The Greater

New York City Area

NEW YORK (September 9, 2020) — Farm.One, Manhattan’s only vertical farm, launched its latest mini-farm at the newly opened Whole Foods Market Manhattan West. Farm.One custom-designed the farm for the Manhattan West store and maintains the on-site mini-farm to supply the in-store prepared food and beverages with freshly grown and harvested Blue Spice Basil. The basil is used as an ingredient for a variety of delicious menu items, including freshly made pizza and the Whole Foods Mule, a specialty cocktail.

With a mission to surprise and delight with fresh, local, specialty ingredients grown at innovative farms in city centers, Farm.One’s mini-farm represents a major shift in urban food production and supply chains. With mini-farms, businesses have continual access to the highest quality, most flavorful, and consistent professional-grade ingredients. Further, the distance between production and consumption is now mere footsteps, eliminating any carbon emissions associated with the delivery of the produce.

“Every kitchen knows the difference that freshness and quality of ingredients can make to the food they serve,” said Rob Laing, founder and CEO of Farm.One. “When we started in 2016, it wasn’t financially feasible to build and operate small farms profitably in cities like New York. We’ve now been able to decrease the cost of building a farm and have developed a model where a larger farm, like our TriBeCa flagship, can support small farms for grocery stores, restaurants and the hospitality industry all over the greater New York City area. This marks a real inflection point for what people can expect in their meals and the economy of urban food production.”

Farm.One’s mini-farm at Whole Foods Market Manhattan West takes up just thirty two square feet and features a hundred and fifty plant sites on three growing levels. The hydroponic system was designed and built by Farm.One’s engineering and technology team to optimize crop productivity, minimize intrusiveness to the store experience, and require minimal maintenance. The facade of the mini-farm was customized to match the familiar brushed stainless steel aesthetic of Whole Foods Market. The mini-farm is capable of supplying at least 8 pounds of basil every month, including harvesting the fragrant basil flowers for use in the Whole Foods Mule.

“The first thing our customers notice when they enter the prepared food section of the store is the incredible fragrance of the basil,,” said Chris Manca, local forager, Whole Foods Market Northeast Region. “As soon as our chefs, and even our mixologist, had access to the basil they were inspired to create menu items that highlight the freshness and flavor of Farm.One’s blue spice basil. This collaboration with Farm.One has really impacted the way we think about fresh ingredients in our kitchens and we can’t wait for customers to come by and experience it.”

Farm.One’s Distributed Agriculture Model
Farm.One has taken a distributed approach to scaling indoor farming in cities, an alternative to the large, expensive warehouse farming models. By establishing a Farm.One flagship as a hub in a city, the company is able to centralize farming and business operations, engineering, training, and support, to build and maintain on-site ‘spoke’ farms throughout a city for its customers. This results in lower investment requirements, a faster path to profitability, and the flexibility to grow a diverse range of crops that meet a variety of customer needs.

“Our hub-and-spoke model of distributed agriculture proves that indoor agriculture doesn’t need tens or hundreds of millions of dollars to be viable and achieve scale,” added Laing. “Also, by putting farms in visible places around the city we’re ensuring openness and transparency never before achieved in the industry. Whether you visit a Farm.One flagship for a tour or class, when it’s safe to do so, or experience a mini-farm in the middle of a grocery store, you’ll see and learn about how your food is grown.”

The company has plans to build flagships and mini-farms in major cities around the United States and globally over the next twenty four months.

Farm costs are further reduced through its relationship with leading LED lighting company Fluence by OSRAM. The cost of lighting and electricity remains one of the highest cost centers for building and operating indoor farms. By collaborating with Fluence, Farm.One is leveraging innovative LED technology to ensure its growing environments are optimized by crop type and for operational efficiency.

“In a vertical farming environment, efficiency isn’t a perk, it is paramount to the farm’s success,” said David Cohen, CEO of Fluence. “Farm.One is tapping into the world’s most advanced cultivation technology to deliver beautiful, delectable plants in the heart of one of the busiest metropolitan areas in the world. Their ability to localize high-quality crop production illustrates how exploring the interaction between light and life will yield a healthier and more sustainable world.”

The mini-farm at Whole Foods Market Manhattan West adds to several mini-farms Farm.One has built out of its flagship farm in TriBeCa, including at OCTOBER, a restaurant in Nolita which features a 100% plant-based menu, Eataly NYC Flatiron, and at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), the site of Farm.One’s original prototype farm. Farm.One also maintains a farm at Project Farmhouse at Union Square.

For more information about purchasing a Farm.One mini-farm for restaurants, grocery stores, and other businesses in the greater New York City area, visit: https://www.farm.one/vertical-farms/custom-units.

For more information about bringing a Farm.One flagship to a city, visit https://www.farm.one/vertical-farms/flagship-farm.

Farm.One Press Inquiries:
Rob Laing
rob@farm.one

IGrow PreOwned 10/22/20 IGrow PreOwned 10/22/20

UNITED KINGDOM: Whole Foods Joins List of Infarm Customers

E KNOWLES

@mikefruitne

15th October 2020, London

The Berlin-Based Urban Farming Specialist

Continues Its Meteoric Rise

With The Addition of One of London's Leading Retailers

Whole Foods Market customers in the UK will soon be able to purchase a range of fresh produce grown by Infarm, which claims to be the world’s fastest-growing urban farming network.

As part of its continued UK expansion, the Berlin-based company will install its modular vertical farming units in two of the retailer’s London stores – High Street Kensington and Fulham – so shoppers can buy fresh produce that has been grown in-store.

Infarm produce will also appear in Whole Foods Market stores in the capital at Piccadilly Circus, Stoke Newington, Richmond, Clapham Junction, and Camden at the end of October and during November.

These stores will be supplied with produce from a local Infarm growing centre in Tottenham, the company said, providing flexible supply as and when required.

For Whole Foods Market shoppers, the Infarm range will include herbs such as coriander, parsley, basil, mint, dill, and Thai basil, as well as a number of different fresh lettuce varieties.

“The partnership between Infarm and Whole Foods Market aims to satisfy increasing consumer demand for sustainably grown products with a smaller environmental footprint, helping customers to both make healthy choices and reduce their food waste,” said a spokesperson for Infarm.

Growing and Growing

The company recently raised US$170m in series C funding, further boosting an expansion strategy that has seen it land retail partnerships in the UK, US, Canada, France, and Germany. Fruitnet understands it will soon be making its market debut in Japan.

The expansion comes as retailers look to find innovative ways to combat climate change. “Infarm units use 95 percent less water and 90 percent less transport than traditional agriculture, as well as 75 percent less fertiliser and no pesticides,” the spokesperson added.

The first harvest from Whole Foods Market Kensington is scheduled for 19 November.

Daniel Kats, vice-president of corporate sales at Infarm, commented: “Whole Foods Market felt like a perfect fit for Infarm. Its commitment to providing customers with vibrant, sustainable food aligns with our goal of growing produce locally and, in the process, substantially reducing food waste and the environmental impact of what we consume. We hope that in installing our modular farms in Kensington and Fulham, we can help to educate shoppers about the future of food.”

Jade Hoai, director of purchasing and operations at Whole Foods Market, said: “We are excited to partner with Infarm to offer a truly hyper-local selection of greens and herbs across all of our London stores. Whole Foods Market customers can expect to find fresh, unique herbs from Infarm’s vertical growing units like Boudreaux purple basil, that are grown locally, have no pesticides, and use a fraction of the traditional resources required to grow. We are excited about this relationship for its joint commitment to environmental stewardship and for the delicious, nutritious meals our customers will be crafting at home.”

Super Local

Founded in Berlin in 2013 by Osnat Michaeli and the brothers Erez and Guy Galonska, Infarm is dedicated to creating a future where local super fresh produce is available for everyone. The farms are placed in various locations in the city, like supermarkets, restaurants, and distribution centres, so that vegetables grow and are harvested close to the moment of purchase or consumption.

Infarm farmers visit the store after each growth cycle to add new seedlings to the farm. According to the company, the plants retain their roots post-harvest to maintain exceptional flavour and freshness, meaning they’re still alive when harvested.

“These controlled, growing environments are connected to a central cloud-based farm-brain which gathers more than 50,000 data points through a plant’s lifetime, allowing the platform to learn, adapt and improve itself constantly so that every plant grows better than the one before,” it adds.

“This modular, data-driven, and distributed approach — a combination of big data, IoT, and cloud analytics, in addition to rapid growth at a global scale — sets Infarm apart from any other urban, farming solution.”

During last week’s FPJLive conference organised by the Fresh Produce Journal, Infarm’s UK operations director Jeremy Byfleet confirmed the company was investigating the possibility of expanding its product offer beyond leafy salad vegetables and herbs to include a number of other fresh fruit and vegetables.

IGrow PreOwned 10/14/20 IGrow PreOwned 10/14/20

Why Kroger And Publix Are Bringing The Farm To The Grocery Store

In March, Publix’s GreenWise market in Lakewood, Florida, added a 40-foot container hydroponic farm in the parking lot

October 8, 2020

By Jesse Klein

Just like every other retailer, grocery stores are focusing on the customer experience to get people back in store. Grocery delivery was already a rising trend, and the pandemic kicked it into the next gear. In May, U.S. online grocery sales had grown to 40 percent. So grocers including Kroger and Publix are looking at onsite vertical farms as one way to attract consumers.

"That experience of going into a grocer and picking something essentially off the vine is compelling from a customer experience standpoint," said Shireen Santosham, head of strategic initiatives at Plenty, a vertical farm company based in San Francisco.

According to Grant Vandenbusschet, chief category officer at Fifth Season, a robotic vertical farm company based in Pittsburgh, fresh produce is keeping a lot of traditional grocery stores alive. It’s the main category still driving traffic into stores, he said, so innovating and investing in this department has been a focus for most retailers.

On-site container farming is not a new idea for grocery stores, but as urban vertical farming has advanced to become a more mainstream part of the supply chain, the idea is becoming more feasible. Some big players have finished their strategic analysis and pilot programs, and are leaning into vertical farming in a bigger way.

That experience of going into a grocer and picking something essentially off the vine is compelling from a customer experience standpoint.

In two Seattle stores, for example, Kroger installed modular vertical farms from German startup Infarm. While the seedlings spend the first few days at Infarm’s centralized nursery, most of the growing happens on-site at the grocery stores.

In March, Publix’s GreenWise market in Lakewood, Florida, added a 40-foot container hydroponic farm in the parking lot. Customers can see the equivalent of three acres of traditional farmland through the container’s windows. It grows about 720 heads of lettuce each week, all sold in the store. But it’s still early days and the process has kinks to work out. At first, Publix wasn’t getting the yields it was expecting.

"It takes time to grow the product and offer consistent quality, flavor, and size," said Curt Epperson, business development director at Publix. "I believe over time, once hydroponic growers refine their processes, and scale-up, we’ll find more efficiencies."

According to Vandenbusschet, one of those efficiencies may be a focus on supporting vertical farms at a large-scale grocer’s distribution center instead of at every single retail location. To get significant business and sustainability impacts from vertical farming, companies will need to get large enough to take true advantage of economies of scale.

"We think a lot of retailers are looking at this format if they are going to have high enough volumes of product to start replacing [traditional] grown products inside of all of their stores," Vandenbusschet said.

Growing is a hard, finicky business. Retailers are experts at retailing, and it’s hard to be good at both retailing and growing, so expect to see key partnerships materialize. Along with the Infarm and Kroger partnership, Publix’s onsite farm is run and managed by Brick Street Farms.

"Finding systems that are not over-encumbering to their operations, things that they can plug-and-play well is really going to be critical," Vandenbusschet said.

If retailers pursue this model, the customer experience might be more akin to going to a farmers’ market than going straight to the farm. But this model has a better chance of scaling well for businesses while also creating sustainability benefits such as cutting freight emissions, lowering water usage, and prolonging shelf life.

Lead photo: Publix is hoping to lure shoppers back to grocery stores with new onsite vertical farms.//Courtesy of Publix

IGrow PreOwned 10/12/20 IGrow PreOwned 10/12/20

Farm Boy Deal Just The Beginning For Indoor Farming Startup

Within six months of completing construction on its Cornwall growing facility, Fieldless Farms’ produce could already be found on the shelves of more than 20 Farm Boy stores across Ontario

Cornwall’s Fieldless Farms Eyes Expansion Into New Markets

BY: Adam Langenberg

October 6, 2020

“We want to scale this very large – we want to be a national success story,” says Fieldless Farms CEO Jon Lomow.

Within six months of completing construction on its Cornwall growing facility, Fieldless Farms’ produce could already be found on the shelves of more than 20 Farm Boy stores across Ontario.

But armed with an aggressive expansion plan to bring more hydroponically grown vegetables to Canadians, CEO Jon Lomow says his company is just getting started. Fieldless currently supplies two types of lettuce mixes – Northern Crunch and Ontario Sweets – grown in its Cornwall indoor farming facility. Lomow wants to rapidly expand both the types of crops the startup grows as well as its physical footprint.

Fieldless uses just 20,000 square feet at its Cornwall facility for its current operations, but Lomow insists that will increase quickly, with the CEO also harbouring ambitions of building new growing facilities in Toronto, Montreal and even the country’s west coast by 2025.“We want to scale this very large – we want to be a national success story. We want to play a major role in shortening supply chains for Canadians using controlled environment agriculture,” Lomow says.

He says Fieldless will significantly increase its capacity to grow leafy greens in the next one to three years, increasing the yield of both its current lettuce mixes and other crops such as romaine lettuce, spinaches, and basil. From there, there are plans to expand to smaller vegetable crops, including baby tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, which the company is just on the cusp of being able to grow economically, Lomow says.

Agricultural evolution

That kind of aggressive growth may seem overly optimistic to some, but Lomow says rapid change is all the company has known since its inception. Fieldless, which secured its first round of private capital funding in June last year, has gone from finishing construction on its Cornwall facility to providing almost 2,000 packs of lettuce mixes to customers each week inside six months.

Initially just selling products through Burrow Shop, the Ottawa-based online retailer Lomow co-founded, as well as Ottawa’s Massine’s Your Independent Grocer, Fieldless achieved one of its early goals in August when it signed a deal with supermarket chain Farm Boy to supply its lettuce mixes to 16 stores spanning from Cornwall to Kingston. That number quickly jumped when Farm Boy asked weeks later if Fieldless could supply seven stores in the Toronto area, a number that is set to grow again in coming weeks. Farm Boy’s origin in Cornwall and its “obsessive focus” on reducing the amount of fresh produce wastage made it the perfect first retailer to partner with, Lomow says.

That early growth gives confidence to Lomow, who notes that Canada – reliant on $48 billion of food imports each year – needs to significantly increase its food production in future years.

Lomow is also buoyed by what he predicts will be a “trillion-dollar evolution in the agriculture industry,” powered by falling automation costs and efficiency improvements in lighting technologies.

**Fieldless Farms’ indoor growing plant in Cornwall.**

The thing that sets Fieldless apart is that it’s not trying to do it all, Lomow says. Before launching, it signed a deal with an unnamed Canadian partner that handles the hydroponic technology side of the equation, leaving Lomow and his team to focus on the supply chain as well as perfecting the taste of its products and getting the products into stores.“We’ll deploy core technologies for our growing platforms and then we’ll innovate inside the gaps, because there are tons of gaps still in indoor farming,” Lomow says. “We just won’t be developing the core technology.”

“We decided we were way better off to focus our efforts on evaluating that technology, in making sure that we had the right technology as opposed to starting from scratch. If you go down the wrong road you’re kind of stuck there.”

The current technology platform sees lettuce crops grow from seedlings inside a 20-day cycle in a way that Lomow says strikes “the right balance between automation and manual labour,” but Fieldless’ technology-agnostic approach means it will partner with other technology companies to build other facilities and grow other crops in the future.

ORGANIZATIONS: Fieldless Farms Farm Boy'

PEOPLE: Jon Lomow. PLACES: Cornwall TAGS: Agri-business

IGrow PreOwned 10/12/20 IGrow PreOwned 10/12/20

Publix Is Helping People Connect With Their Food Through Hydroponics

As far back as 2008, Publix started working with hydroponic growers Tanimura & Antle out of Livingston, TN. Soon, their hydroponically grown butter lettuce became a best seller for leafy lettuce

Image sourced from: Publix — **Image sourced from:** **Publix**

Editor’s note: The following information is derived from an interview Agritecture conducted with Curt Epperson, Business Development Director of Produce and Floral at Publix Super Markets.

Publix Super Markets, headquartered in Florida, is the largest employee-owned grocery chain in the United States. Since opening in 1930, they have been committed to supporting the communities in which they operate, and a big piece of that is forging connections with local produce growers, whether they are farming traditionally or hydroponically.

As far back as 2008, Publix started working with hydroponic growers Tanimura & Antle out of Livingston, TN. Soon, their hydroponically grown butter lettuce became a best seller for leafy lettuce. Seeing this lettuce grow into having the best sell-through, Publix began to look more seriously at the category.

Their decision to bring in more hydroponically grown greens into their stores has resulted from not only their decades-long commitment to locally sourced food but to greater sustainability as well. “Hydroponics are known for their very high quality, they have consistent flavor, they certainly carry a good sustainable message in all that they do for being grown locally, supporting the communities in which they’re being grown in, and low carbon footprint,” says Curt Epperson, Business Development Director of Produce and Floral at Publix Super Markets.

Hydroponics can be grown 365 days a year, regardless of weather conditions. The format in which they are grown enables them to be exceptionally efficient— without soil, these crops utilize 90% less water than traditional farming, and all 2- to 3,000 miles closer to the dinner table. Epperson explains, “Being grown in a closed environment, it reduces the risk of outside contaminants and it helps control and better provide food safety. I think all those are possibilities as to why we’re seeing the success that we are.”

Consumers Connect with the Heart of Hydroponically Grown Produce

Today, hydroponically grown products are on the rise, in part, because they help consumers connect with a brand’s purpose. Through hydroponic product packaging, many farmers are sharing their brand story and the product’s environmental benefits. “Our customers were telling us something: we want products that are fresh, and right for the economy and the planet. Right then, we knew we were headed in the right direction, not only with hydroponics but with hyperlocal hydroponics,” Epperson reflects. His team started researching the growing number of hydroponic farms across their seven-state footprint and cultivating relationships with Kalera in Florida, and Vertical Roots in South Carolina, among others.

Sustainably minded shoppers love understanding how a brand’s environmental values align with their own and revel in supporting a locally grown, sustainable product that has a longer shelf life. Because hydroponically grown lettuce is spending less time on the road, it can spend more time in the fridge. As Epperson points out, “In addition to being sustainably grown, hydroponically grown lettuces last longer, so people experience less food waste. This is appealing not only from a financial standpoint but an environmental standpoint, too, since food waste contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.”

Even though hydroponically-grown produce is typically more expensive, popularity is consistently on the rise. Where, on the one hand, the efficient use of space and reduced transportation of commodities should translate to reduced prices, the lack of soil and utilization of artificial lighting, and such technology counteracts the price reduction. They also owe the prices to the new tech, growers, and investors entering the industry. Epperson explains, “There’s a lot of work and research to be done to scale up and provide the yields that the Western growers have been providing for centuries,” Epperson notes. Consumers seem to agree, this is a small price to pay.

As an extension of their commitment to local, hydroponically grown lettuces, in April of this year, Publix’s GreenWise Market (which specializes in organic, natural, and specialty groceries) embarked on a pilot program with Brick Street Farms to grow, harvest, and package hydroponically-grown lettuce in a container farm located right outside the GreenWise Market Lakeland, Florida store. “The lettuce we are growing onsite travels feet instead of miles—you don’t get much more local than that,” Epperson marvels.

By growing the lettuce on-site in this 40-foot container farm, Publix is able to grow an equivalent of 2.5 to 3 acres of lettuce and eliminate pollution from transportation. By utilizing a rotational planting cycle, the on-site container farm yields a new crop every five weeks, and approximately 700 heads of lettuce every week. Here, customers can watch the growing process through an observation window, learn more about this method of farming, and see exactly how their produce is grown.

Publix is expanding its hydroponic operations to have hydro-growers in each state in which they operate. The Publix team sees potential ahead due to possibilities of scaling up, increased research and development, and expansion beyond leafy greens into growing peppers, cucumbers, berries, and more. “We look forward to seeing what our local hydroponic farmers are going to grow in the coming years. Whatever it is, we know it will be flavorful and environmentally friendly, which will make our customers very happy,” Epperson says.

For more information contact:

Maria Brous, Director of Communications - Maria.Brous@publix.com

FURTHER READING

ARE HYDROPONIC VEGETABLES AS NUTRITIOUS AS THOSE GROWN IN SOIL?

AL GHALIA FARMS: ADVANCING HYDROPONIC FARMING IN THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

IGrow PreOwned 6/30/20 IGrow PreOwned 6/30/20

Infarm Looks to Raise $200m For Vertical Farm Expansion

Berlin-based Infarm has closed an initial $140m of a planned $200m Series C funding round, said people involved in the deal, at more than double the valuation at which it raised $100m a year ago

German Start-Up Grows Herbs and Salads

Inside Supermarkets and Restaurants

Infarm’s latest funding deal will value the company in the hundreds of millions of dollars © Simone M.Neumann - www.simone-m-neumann.de

June 28, 2020

by Tim Bradshaw in London

Infarm, a German start-up developing indoor farms, is closing in on a new $200m investment, hoping to capitalise on renewed investor appetite for companies that can address food supply problems that arose during the pandemic.

Berlin-based Infarm has closed an initial $140m of a planned $200m Series C funding round, said people involved in the deal, at more than double the valuation at which it raised $100m a year ago. The deal values the company in the hundreds of millions of dollars, these people said.

Unlike other vertical farming ventures that install crops in huge warehouses, Infarm’s smaller “modular” units sit on supermarket aisles and inside restaurants. These hydroponic farms can avoid the use of pesticides thanks to a tightly controlled environment, and reduce lengthy supply chains by offering produce that is fresh at the point of sale.

Hundreds of its small farms growing herbs and salads can be found on the shelves of supermarkets after it struck deals with Marks and Spencer in the UK and Kroger in the US, as well as European supermarkets including Metro, Casino, and Migros. Last month it signed up Aldi in Germany.

LGT Lightstone, the “impact investing” arm of the Princely House of Liechtenstein, is said to be among Infarm’s new investors, joining venture capitalists including Atomico, Balderton, TriplePoint, Cherry Ventures, and LocalGlobe. LGT Lightstone is also an investor in Lilium, the German air-taxi developer.

Infarm’s modular units sit on supermarket aisles and inside restaurants © Simone M.Neumann - www.simone-m-neumann.de

“Vertical farming is a pandemic-proof business,” said one investor.

Infarm declined to comment. LGT Lightstone did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

But while the Covid-19 pandemic’s pressures on food supply chains have opened opportunities for new producers such as Infarm, it has also hit demand from restaurants, which make up a smaller portion of the company’s business.

While tech investing has continued during the pandemic, lockdowns make it harder for potential investors to perform due diligence on hardware-based companies such as Infarm.

The company was founded in 2013 by Osnat Michaeli and brothers Erez and Guy Galonska. It competes with several other venture-backed indoor farming start-ups including Plenty, Bowery Farming and AeroFarms.

The group was founded in 2013 by Osnat Michaeli, pictured, along with brothers Erez and Guy Galonska © Simone M.Neumann - www.simone-m-neumann.de

Bowery has raised more than $140m from investors including Alphabet’s GV, according to Crunchbase, while SoftBank-backed Plenty has a $400m war chest.

Infarm’s latest fundraising, when complete, would allow it to close the gap with Plenty, which also counts Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former Google chief Eric Schmidt among its investors. In late March, Bloomberg reported that Plenty was looking to raise at least $100m in new financing.

However, Infarm’s expansion has outpaced Plenty, which remains largely focused on building facilities in its native California.

While larger warehouses such as Plenty’s have high upfront costs and are expensive to provide with lighting and air conditioning, Infarm argues its modular farms are easier to scale and prove appealing to retailers looking for differentiation. Investors hope that it can also build a brand of its own, unlike most agricultural suppliers.

Additional reporting by Emiko Terazono

IGrow PreOwned 5/25/20 IGrow PreOwned 5/25/20

Aldi Teams Up With Vertical Farming Company Infarm

Adli Süd is the latest retailer and the first discounter to partner with Infarm. Germany is Infarm’s largest market where it already partners with Edeka and Metro

Maxime Delacour
Senior Retail Analyst
@RetailAnalysis

Aldi Süd announced a new partnership with Infarm, a leading indoor vertical farming company, in Germany. The first vertical-farm units will be installed in-store by the end of May.

Fresh move from the discounter

Aldi Süd is the latest retailer and the first discounter to partner with Infarm. Germany is Infarm’s largest market where it already partners with Edeka and Metro. By the end of May five Aldi stores in the Frankfurt and Dusseldorf regions will be growing fresh herbs and salads thanks to Infarm vertical units. Seven further stores will add this solution by the end of the year.

The in-store farms are fully managed by Infarm employees from growing to harvest and packing. Aldi and Infarm agreed on large volumes of products, most will be produced directly at Infarm’s greenhouses in order to supply around 300 stores.

Targeting a larger audience

Over the last two years, Aldi has accelerated its investments in sustainable solutions improving its stores and assortment to target new shoppers. This one aims at creating an appealing offer to young health and environmentally conscious shoppers looking for a more sustainable lifestyle.

With this new development Aldi continues to upgrade its concept as part of its strategy to move away from its hard discount image. More broadly, the upgrade of food discounters is one of the five trends shaping the channel we highlighted for 2020.

Looking for more insight?

Check our Aldi hub and resilient and responsive hub for more related content.

Lead Photo: Source: Infarm

Screen Shot 2020-05-21 at 12.26.06 PM.png

IGrow PreOwned 5/14/20 IGrow PreOwned 5/14/20

VIDEO: "Farmers Bringing Their Field Indoors"

BBC has a series called People fixing the world, in which one episode was called 'The farmers bringing their fields indoors'

BBC has a series called People fixing the world, in which one episode was called 'The farmers bringing their fields indoors'. In this episode about vertical farming, Guy Galonska, Co-founder & CTO of InFarm and Shani Leiderman from Beba restaurant in Martin-Gropius-Bau were featured.

Source and video: Infarm LinkedIn.

Publication date: Thu 30 Apr 2020