Agriculture tech company supports vertical farming
ITALY-BASED agriculture tech firm Planet Farms has invested over £25million in a new UK-based vertical farming facility to expand its presence globally.
The new 20,000 sqm facility is set to begin construction later this year with inital production planned for early 2027 and will mark the arrival of one of the largest controlled environment agriculture infrastructure facilities worldwide.
The UK location will replicate the company’s facility in Cirimido (pictured) in Italy, which supplies over 25% of the total distribution of Italian retailers as well as for retailers in Switzerland.
The industrial-scale end-to-end automated facilities will serve large retailers, foodservice operators and global companies in the speciality food sectors, beverages, beauty and cosmetics sectors to strengthen supply chains and support sustainable ventures in the UK.
In addition to this, Planet Farms has also introduced its branded salad SKUs to Waitrose stores across the UK, with plans to announce another major retailer partnership in the near future.
The move also follows on from the firm’s newly established joint venture with Swiss Life Asset Managers, one of Europe’s leading insurance and asset management groups, to help support financial investments in infrastructure.
Luca Travaglini, chairman and chief technology officer at Planet Farms, said: “Reliable supply chains are mission critical for our customers and this partnership allows us to deploy the infrastructure to structurally address topical issues, including climatic volatility, a shifting global trade landscape and sustainability.
“Compared to traditional agriculture, our process will continue to reduce water consumption by 95% and soil consumption by 93%, while ensuring total control over quality, safety and traceability.”
Daniele Benatoff, co-founder and chief executive at Planet Farms, said: “Since day one, in 2018, we invested resources and energy to create a climate-agnostic technological platform that can be replicated globally.
“The partnership with Swiss Life enables us to provide strategic technology solutions to customers who are facing supply chain challenges.”
