Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) has made significant progress in producing strawberries commercially, but the industry is still trying to work out which berry crops might follow. Researchers and operators say the answer will depend on disciplined crop development, realistic economics, and systems designed around the biological needs of the plant.
That message emerged during a session titled "Beyond Strawberries: What Berry Is Next for CEA?" at Indoor Ag-Con, presented by Olivier Paulus, CEO and founder of Vertiberry; Paul Gauthier, Professor at Penn State University; and Eric Gerbrandt, Chief Science Officer at BeriTech.
Lessons from the CEA Strawberry Boom
Panelists emphasized that the rapid expansion of CEA strawberries over the past decade offers both valuable experience and cautionary lessons. While the crop has proven technically feasible in greenhouses and indoor systems, many early ventures struggled after scaling too soon.
Echoing lessons learned across the CEA sector over the past few years, the speakers noted that future berry crops — including raspberries, blueberries, and other high-value varieties — will require a more measured development pathway. Pilot production, data collection, and incremental scaling were all stressed as important steps before committing to large commercial facilities.
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