Eden Green Technology is a Texas-based agtech company that offers “greenhouses-as-a-service” vertical farming technology and greenhouse systems. These systems can grow 50+ varieties of leafy greens, fruits and vegetables in a sustainable manner, supporting both economic growth and food security. According to the company’s website, a 1.5-acre greenhouse can produce 2.7 million meals and 11 harvests per year. One such greenhouse also creates an estimated 30 year-round jobs.
With roughly 60% of the world’s leafy greens being produced in only three countries, Eden Green Technology plans to help local economies break away from commodity dependence and produce their own food.
Eddy Badrina, CEO
Eden Green Technology has developed patented vertical farming systems which ensure adequate access to sunlight, minimal footprint and efficient resource use. Being climate-proof and seasonally agnostic also offers growers the ability to produce multiple consistent harvests throughout the year. According to the company’s website, Eden Green Technology sorts its services into four main aspects: design and build of a vertical greenhouse, training of greenhouse personnel, consulting throughout growing cycles, and sales of leafy greens. The company’s service model is based on economic sustainability and the empowerment of growers.
According to Eddy Badrina, CEO of Eden Green Technology, “We call it ‘greenhouse as a service’. We’ll build it and help you manage it. Retailers using our technology can vertically integrate without having to worry about being growers. Most retailers and suppliers don’t want to be growers; we can solve that problem for you because we will help you."
The company has three main audiences or client types that Eden Green Technology believes can significantly improve local food systems. These include retailers, grocers and distributors. These potential clients would be a good fit as Eden Green Technology’s solution “allows food to be grown within 20 miles, 2 miles or across the street from a distribution center or even a grocery store.” Vertical farming also allows these players to vertically integrate their supply chains and produce greens specific to its region’s preference.
“In one region of the world, they may really like pak choi but in another, they might prefer collard greens or spinach. Our technology is flexible enough to grow all of these at scale and do it near distribution centers,” says Eddy.
In addition, there is an increasing demand for private labels as opposed to big labels and other multinationals. Eden Green Technology allows growers to create a local supply chain that meets those specifications in terms of costs, consumer preferences, etc. While many people think of private labels as being more expensive than major brands, Eddy explains that retailers can offer reasonable prices for their private labels.
“It’s not because the base product is significantly less expensive to grow, but it has to do with the whole supply chain. When growing lettuce on a traditional farm, they cost- in roughly 40% waste from the field, then the distributors cost- in waste from transportation between harvest and the market. Grocers then include the cost of losses as the product sits on the shelves. If you can eliminate that waste, then you can eliminate that cost.”
As the COVID-19 pandemic slowed many industries, Eddy explained that Eden Green Technology took the slowed pace as an opportunity to focus on its technology and business model. They also donated all of their R&D facility’s yield to local Dallas-Fort Worth nonprofits to fight food insecurity. The flipside of the pandemic, according to Eddy, was that it allowed the company to begin 2021 with a strong strategy to address market needs, which were also enhanced by the pandemic.
“The smart companies used this time to innovate internally and were patient enough to know that the capital would return and be greater than before. Fortunately, we were in that position. With the pandemic and the new administration in the US, I think that we will see an amplified approach towards sustainable farming and making the food supply chain more resilient,” says Eddy.
While Eden Green Technology may have competitors, the company believes that it is set apart from competitors by its commitment to economic sustainability. “One of the biggest differences between us and our competitors is that our model is built so that it is economically sustainable. You can take 1.5 acres, build a greenhouse and get the first harvest in 9-10 months. If that harvest is all spoken for and sold, its unit economics are very profitable,” says Eddy.
He also noted that with many companies focusing on technology and different platforms, commercial viability often slips through the cracks. Conversely, Eden Green Technology developed its technology based on empowering growers with a commercially viable model. 
For more information:
Eden Green Technology
Eddy Badrina, CEO
eddyb@edengreen.com
www.edengreen.com