'Hyperlocal' vertical farm announces expansion plans
Added on 30 July 2024
The vertical farm will have a 1,031 m² cultivation area, and will produce green crops, amounting to several tons of ultra-fresh greens per month. The yield will be distributed to the country’s major retail chains.
“In recent years, we saw significant challenges for the vertical farming industry in Europe. iFarm successfully navigated this period, thanks to various projects in the MENA countries and Indonesia. In 2024, we re-emerged in the European market with our top-notch, fully automated system, now in construction in Switzerland.” said Alex Lyskovsky, founder and CEO at iFarm.
The farm will utilize iFarm StackGrow technology, a fully automated system with mobile trays for growing plants on vertical farms. Compared to semi-automated vertical farms, this technology increases plant density by 67% and doubles monthly yield and revenue.
The robotic farm will have automated systems for planting, washing trays, and cutting plants. The only production processes that require manual labor are equipment maintenance and disinfection. Automation significantly reduces the number of farm staff and, therefore, operating costs. The annual savings on workers' salaries amount to approximately 370 thousand dollars.
“We are excited to work with iFarm to bring this innovative technology to Switzerland. We believe that the Swiss market could really benefit from a sustainable alternative to conventional farming and imported greens,” said the client, Hygrow.
According to Statista Market Insights, the Swiss salad and greens market is valued at $1.36 billion, which is significantly higher than the markets in other European countries like Austria ($0.40 billion) and Hungary ($0.24 billion). Salads and greens account for 29% of the total vegetable market in Switzerland. The vegetable market is expected to grow at a CAGR of +3.3% from 2024 to 2029.
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