TechCrunch has a story about Infarm, described as a Berlin-based startup that is "developing an 'indoor vertical farming' system capable of growing anything from herbs, lettuce and other vegetables, and even fruit. The concept might not be entirely new - Japan has been an early pioneer in vertical farming, where the lack of space for farming and very high demand from a large population has encouraged innovation - but what potentially sets Infarm apart, including from other startups, is the modular approach and go-to-market strategy it is taking.
"This means that the company can do vertical farming on a small but infinitely expandable scale, and is seeing Infarm place farms not in offsite warehouses but in customer-facing city locations, such as grocery stores, restaurants, shopping malls, and schools, enabling the end-customer to actually pick the produce themselves."
Osnat Michaeli, a co-founder of the company, says that they believe they've found an effective and scalable model, and that the challenge now is "finding the right partners. Our initial focus is on supermarket chains, online food retailers, wholesalers, hotels, and other food-related businesses, for whom the superior quality and range of produce — with no fluctuation in costs — makes Infarm an attractive partner. In return, we can reintroduce the joy of growing to the urban population."
"This means that the company can do vertical farming on a small but infinitely expandable scale, and is seeing Infarm place farms not in offsite warehouses but in customer-facing city locations, such as grocery stores, restaurants, shopping malls, and schools, enabling the end-customer to actually pick the produce themselves."
Osnat Michaeli, a co-founder of the company, says that they believe they've found an effective and scalable model, and that the challenge now is "finding the right partners. Our initial focus is on supermarket chains, online food retailers, wholesalers, hotels, and other food-related businesses, for whom the superior quality and range of produce — with no fluctuation in costs — makes Infarm an attractive partner. In return, we can reintroduce the joy of growing to the urban population."
- KC's View:
