Growing produce using cleanroom technology, as Kalera will do, is uncommon and possibly new. If indoor ag takes off, it will increase competition for warehouse space, which already is in high demand due to e-commerce.
Indoor farming has drawn interest from the likes of Alexandria Real Estate Equities and Microsoft, which several years ago grew greens on the Redmond campus with farmers using the company's PowerBI and Azure platforms. Pasadena, California-based Alexandria, which has a large presence in the Seattle region, offers early-stage companies move-in-ready space at its Center for AgTech in Durham, North Carolina.
Through the third quarter of last year, $4.2 billion of venture capital investment was made in the sector, according to Pitchbook, surpassing 2019's full-year amount. Kalera, which has two facilities in Orlando, including at a Marriott, said it has raised over $150 million this year.
Cuhaci & Peterson of Orlando is designing the Lacey facility in the Hogum Bay Logistics Center, 8000 NE 31st Ave. NE, in the Hawks Prairie area off of Interstate 5. "When we enter the construction phase we use a bidding process, so at this point, it is too early to know which construction company will end up working on the Seattle project," a Kalera spokesperson said in an email.
Read more at Biz Journals (M. Stiles)