Berry grower and vertical farming company forge partnership

Added on 21 October 2020

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Berry grower and vertical farming company forge partnership

Driscoll's, a leading consumer brand in fresh berries, and indoor vertical farming company Plenty Unlimited Inc., have announced a joint development agreement to grow Driscoll's proprietary flavorful strawberries year-round in Plenty's vertical indoor farms. Together, the two companies will work to bring flavorful strawberry varieties to market, leveraging the benefits of a controlled growing environment while also creating opportunity for berry expansion into regions that have historically been difficult to serve.

"It's clear that Plenty's vision and capabilities of pioneering the potential of indoor farming technology makes them the leader in this space," says J. Miles Reiter, Driscoll's Chairman and CEO. "As one of the few berry companies with a dedicated global R&D program, we believe our proprietary berries, which are focused on flavor, combined with Plenty's technology leadership, will create a competitive market edge as we expand to more effectively meet the future consumer."

Plenty will incorporate Driscoll's proprietary genetics and berry expertise into its advanced, indoor farming technology using its plant science expertise. Through this controlled environment, Plenty can consistently deliver great flavors from Driscoll's varieties, while also optimizing for texture and size. The indoor environment will remove the unpredictability of Mother Nature, allowing both companies to meet the future needs of consumers worldwide, including geographical locations that are not hospitable to growing strawberries.

Plenty's innovative and sustainable farm delivers produce year-round. Using data analytics, machine learning, and customized lighting, Plenty is able to iterate at unprecedented speed, leveraging the more than 200 years' worth of growing data the platform generates annually. This advanced agri-food platform has allowed Plenty to show more than 700% yield improvement in leafy greens in the last 24 months. Plenty's South San Francisco leafy greens farm uses 100% renewable energy, powered by a combination of wind and solar energy.

"For more than 100 years, Driscoll's has been innovating in search of the best-tasting berries," said Nate Storey, Co-founder and Chief Science Officer of Plenty. "As they embrace the emergence of indoor farming, we are proud they have chosen Plenty as their collaborator to develop flavorful berries grown indoors in a clean, controlled environment. We are aligned in our mission to bring the most delicious food to our consumers while reducing our environmental impact. Our goal is to bring fresh, flavor-forward berries grown locally to consumers around the world."

Driscoll's strawberries will initially be grown and developed in Plenty's Laramie, WY, farm, the largest privately owned vertical farm research and development center in the world.

Source and photo Courtesy of Greenhouse Grower