GrowUp Farms' purpose is growing better food for all, and their achievements so far stand as a testament to innovation in vertical farming. Now, the company teamed up with Gardin, a software, robotics, and data company. Together, they cracked the code regarding energy.
GrowUp Farms, one of the global pioneers of vertical farming, began life 10 years ago when Kate Hofman met Tom Webster and they founded GrowUp Farms in a small unit in London. They combined new and existing technology to grow pesticide-free leaves that tasted better, lasted longer, and reduced the environmental impact of getting healthy food onto people's plates. Within a short time, GrowUp Farms was supplying Borough Market and London restaurants with the salad they had grown in a controlled environment in their small London unit.
GrowUp Farms' purpose is growing better food for all, and their achievements so far stand as a testament to innovation in vertical farming. Fast forward 10 years and £100 million worth of investment, GrowUp Farms' sizeable vertical farm in Kent, is the first vertical farm to supply branded, award-winning ready-to-eat salads to supermarket groups, including Tesco, Iceland, and SPAR across the UK, which are grown in meticulously stacked vertical farming systems up to 13 meters high. This feat presents a technical challenge that demands ingenuity, precision, and a deep understanding of agricultural practice, manufacturing, and control systems. GrowUp Farms' commitment to delivering fresh, pesticide-free, and locally sourced salads, which are harvested, grown, and packed on the same site, sets a new standard in the industry.
GrowUp Farms has also cracked the biggest challenge in vertical farming – energy. They have made a big breakthrough at GrowUp Farms by ending their reliance on electricity and using renewable heating and cooling for most of their energy requirements supplied by the renewable energy plant next to the farm, which means they use far less electricity and their bills are lower.
This is done thanks to solutions of Gardin. At the heart of their product lies an innovative optical sensor designed to measure photosynthesis and a suite of machine-learning models that help Gardin make sense of plant growth. Gardin's sensors provide real-time insights about plant physiology, enabling growers to make informed decisions for higher yields and a more resilient food supply chain.
"Gardin's systems are small, easy to install, and are capable of continuous monitoring. Using advanced techniques that detect changes imperceptible to the human eye, Gardin's sensors provide a comprehensive solution to monitor the production environment without disruption", the team with GrowUp Farms says.
"Gardin goes beyond remote monitoring by directly measuring photosynthetic performance. This capability delivers real-time feedback on plant productivity and health, allowing GrowUp Farms to optimize its growth strategy directly on the farm. The integration of Gardin's data into GrowUp Farms' operations provides actionable insights that contribute to enhanced crop yield and overall farm efficiency."
"We identified correlations between Gardin's insights and yield, which will be an invaluable tool to optimize even further our production systems and facilitate the introduction of new crops to our portfolio," says GrowUp Farms Chief Technology Officer Tom Webster, underscoring the significance of the insights produced by Gardin's system.
Dr Fabrizio Ticchiarelli-Marjot, Gardin's Lead Biologist, who worked closely with Tom and the GrowUp Farms team said: "GrowUp Farms is playing a pivotal role in bringing fresh, pesticide-free, locally grown salads to British consumers. Not only do these salad brands – Unbeleafable and Fresh Leaf Co. – look and taste incredible, but they also have a much longer shelf-life and are at price parity with conventionally farmed salad. This marks a significant milestone in sustainable vertical farming, and we are excited to be part of it. Gardin is not just a technology provider, it is a partner in the quest for sustainable and efficient agriculture. Our mission is clear: to empower growers to improve the productivity and quality of their produce. And that's exactly what's happening here: This partnership is not merely a transaction but a shared journey towards a more sustainable and efficient future."
For more information:
GrowUp
www.growupfarms.co.uk
Gardin
Damiana Price, Head of Marketing
d.price@gardin.ag
www.gardin.ag