The well-known startup Plenty Unlimited Inc. recently announced that it will build the world's largest and most advanced indoor vertical arena in Virginia.

The main objective of this large investment is to expand the supply of fresh fruits and vegetables (strawberries, green leafy vegetables and tomatoes), and also reach the entire east coast of the United States.

In the words of the CEO of the company, Arama Kukutai, "that innovation allows us to grow a wide variety of crops on a fraction of the surface and exponentially increase the yield compared to conventional farms."

staggered growth

The first farm will grow strawberries from Driscoll's Company (the world's market leader in fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries) and will be the first in the world to grow berries vertically indoors on a large scale. The first strawberry harvest on the new vertical farm is estimated to take place in the winter of 2023-2024.

Initially, it will start with the production of strawberries to later add other types of crops such as green leafy vegetables and tomatoes, in all cases, without pesticides.

Benefits of growing at height

Vertical farms are an innovative and sustainable solution for agri-food production, contributing to caring for the planet in several ways: they allow products to be offered under the km0 denomination, reducing the carbon footprint of each food; great saving of water for irrigation that reaches up to 95%; use of renewable sources to supply the large amount of energy needed and the use of pesticides is avoided.

In addition to offering advantages from an environmental point of view, they also provide versatility for the farmer, since a large production can be obtained in a very small area by using the vertical dimension to cultivate, and crops can also be produced throughout the year. , so productivity is very high.