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By Katy Askew
Contact
December 17-2021
– Last updated on
December 17th, 2021 at 3:06 pm GMT
Related tags:
vertical farming, urban farming
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Today the company reports on commercial activities in 50 cities in 11 countries in Europe, North America and Asia. It operates more than 17 growing centers – larger indoor farms – and over 1,400 in-store farms for 30 of the world’s retailers. By 2030, the presence is to be significantly expanded to 100 cultivation centers in 20 countries. Over the next few years, the European food tech company is preparing to expand its presence in the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.
“What we can say for now is that in addition to expanding and strengthening our existing Networks in the US, Canada and Japan are actively seeking new markets in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions, starting with Qatar in 2023. « Co-founder and CEO Erez Galonska told FoodNavigator.
In 2023, Infarm will be Open first cultivation center in Qatar, where not only herbs, lettuce and leafy vegetables are harvested, but also tomatoes, strawberries and other fruit plants.
To support its global ambitions, the company has just received a Series D financing round of US $ 200 million -Dollars completed. The investment included the participation of existing and new investors, including the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), which will support the company’s expansion into countries in the Middle East – partners in Equity, Hanaco, Atomico, Lightrock and Bonnier.
« Ours The new capital increase enables us to achieve our goal of having 100 growing centers in 20 countries by 2030 and consolidating our global leadership position, ”said Galonska. “The establishment of a global agricultural network of our climate-resilient vertical farms is a core task of Infarm.”
Infarm cultivation centers are the “flagship” production units of the group. The spaces connect several vertical farming modules, which correspond to a growing capacity of around 110,000 square feet, with a distribution center that ensures “fast delivery to supermarkets”. The group is also building smaller in-store farming units for grocery stores to bring production even closer to the consumer.
The company’s modular approach is an important USP that offers a number of competitive advantages, said the company’s CEO Company.
« Infarm operates all of its own modular farming units, including those in our large Infarm grow centers and our smaller in-store modules that can be found in supermarkets … Thanks to our modular technology, we can set up and grow a center move production there in just six weeks. This gives retailers good reasons to work with us, and that’s one of the reasons why we already have partnerships with 30 of the largest supermarket chains in the world. ”
In addition to the“ comparatively very fast establishment ”, the modular cultivation systems offer other advantages. You can easily “swivel” between the cultures. « This not only allows us to set up new farms relatively quickly, but can also react sensitively to local demand, » said Galinska.
The modular urban farms also require a « smaller footprint » and are highly efficient compared to conventional agriculture, so the company. It is possible to turn a living room-size space – 430 square meters – into an urban vertical farm that produces more than 500,000 plants a year. Infarm says this is equivalent to a « soccer field value of plants, » suggesting its production model can be up to « 400 times » more efficient than soil-based agriculture.
The closed loop system means no chemical pesticides and Infarm’s products require 95% less land and 95% less water than conventional agriculture. The company’s growing centers recycle water and nutrients and use the evaporated water from the plants. Because crops are grown directly in cities, they take 90% fewer food kilometers to get to consumers’ plates, the company added.
The cloud-enabled units also use data to improve efficiency. Each farm is equipped with “laboratory grade sensors” that collect more than 60 billion data points from their global farming network. The farms upload information to the company’s cloud, the so-called “farm brain”. Infarm’s Crop Science team analyzes the data to continuously update the growing environment in each module and improve factors such as yield, quality and nutritional value through the use of artificial intelligence and its patented technology. Over the past three years, through the analysis made possible by the “farmer’s brain”, the company has reduced production costs by 80% and increased revenue by more than 250%.
The capital intensity of building vertical farms can drive the growth of the Sector, as relatively long return-on-investment cycles and a high investment requirement are required. Here, too, Infarm claims to have a competitive advantage thanks to its proprietary modular technology.
“One of the advantages of our modular approach is that we can set up and operate a growing center with several farming modules in just six weeks – and that too one fifth of the cost of our competitors. That means we’re quickly starting to harvest and generate cash flow. We are growing rapidly and aggressively and the funds from today’s announcement will help fund our global expansion and entry into new markets, « emphasized Galonska.
In addition to supporting global growth, capital from the investment round will be used, to drive further efforts by R&D, Galonska continued.
« This strategic investment will … strengthen our R&D so that we can grow more varieties of crops close to consumers in Europe, Asia, North America and the Middle East, » said the Food technology entrepreneur.
In addition to the herbs, salads and leafy vegetables that Infarm is currently producing, the company is working on adding 40 new crops to its portfolio over the next year. « We are currently producing 75 different types of plants. This is the largest Industry portfolio. We are working to bring 40 new products commercially to market over the next year, including mushrooms, Cherry tomatoes, peas and strawberries, « he revealed.
Expanding the range of products that can be grown on its vertical farms is an important step in Infarm’s mission to » help cities become self-sufficient « . « To keep this promise, we want to grow the entire fruit and vegetable basket by 2030, » said FoodNavigator.
« The current food system is broken. Vertical farming and the Infarm system offer a sustainable solution to feed a growing population in a way that is much better for the planet and is much more resilient and flexible in the face of climate insecurity and the disruption of the supply chain. «
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