An ‘experimental’ start-up has become the first in Europe to utilize a vertical farm to both grow herbs and produce plant extracts for the beauty, health, and pharmaceutical industries.
Vertigo Farms, located in the Puławy Science and Technology Park in the east of Poland grows 11, 000 plants on an area of 300 square meters using 4 meters high metal constructions resembling shelving units, a capacity which would require an area 100 times larger if using a traditional farm.
Established by husband and wife team Anna and Dawid Drzewiecki after their observations of where different plant extracts came from in cosmetics and natural supplements, the company’s innovation is based on their focus on vertical farming for the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry as well as their unique form of production, combining the growth of plants and the production of extracts in one place.
The two processes of growth and production have hitherto been separate in other companies in the same field, with sites often large distances apart. The farm, which is the only vertical farm in Poland focusing on delivery to the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry, currently produces three plant types: basil, coriander, and bakuchi, the latter being a herb from Asia often used as a substitute for retinol, a popular ingredient used in anti-aging and acne creams.
The ambitious company, which sees itself as filling a niche due to the small number of companies producing plant extracts for the cosmetics, health, and pharma sectors, has big expansion plans.
Earlier this year, it signed an important deal for innovative vertical farming technology with a leading Finnish company specializing in the building of vertical farms. The technology will enable the company to experiment with tropical plants and to grow a wider variety of herbs.
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