Infarm

An Infarm growing centre / Source: Infarm

AsiaEuropeFood & BeverageNorth AmericaPaper

5 MINUTE READ

Sophie Benson

WHAT WE SAY:

It is argued that plastic packaging reduces food waste. But new research shows that by forcing shoppers to buy more than they need, it actually increases waste. Bans on packaging for fruit and vegetables from France, Spain and California are a step forward, but with plastic waste doubling over the last two decades and a need for humanity to produce more food in the next four decades than it has in the past 8,000 years, we cannot afford to wait around until every government catches up.

Enter: Infarm. The startup is aiming to take vertical farming mainstream, with a network of community and store-based growing centres. Loose produce, grown locally. It is an old-fashioned idea being delivered in a very modern manner.

KEY FACTS:

Founded in 2013, Infarm is a global network of local farms (a mixture of large growing hubs and in-store farms) that are placed near the consumer, growing and selling produce, such as leafy greens with roots intact, prolonging the lifespan of the food and reducing food miles by up to 95%.
The company utilises vertical farming, a system whereby crops are grown indoors in stacked layers. Variables, such as temperature, light and water can be controlled, therefore providing a more stable growing environment and a level of efficiency, allowing for the growth of over 500,000 plants annually, on just 40 square metres of floor space. A closed-loop system recycles nutrients and evaporated water from the plants.
Lab-grade sensors, which collect more than 60 billion data points from the global network, continuously update the growing environment to increase yield, quality and nutritional value. The so-called “farmer in the cloud” has reduced costs by 80% and improved yield by more than 250%.
The vertical farming structure cuts out pesticides and uses 95% less land and 95% less water than soil-based agriculture. This impact, combined with the farms’ proximity to their end-users, means that Infarm claims to have saved 136 million litres of water, 180,000 square metres of land and nearly three million food kilometres to date.
Growing produce in-store and/or close to a consumer’s home drastically cuts down the amount of packaging needed to get the end product to the customer, but Infarm is not entirely packaging-free. At its in-store farms it uses paper cones for lettuce, herbs and leafy greens. It also uses PP flow packs or plastic-sealed paper trays for products, such as herbs with roots. It is aiming for all of its plastic-based packaging solutions to be recycle-ready, across all markets, by 2025.
The company had 572 Infarm city farms across the US, Europe and Asia, but in 2023 closed its European operations to focus on North America and the Middle East.

Infarm’s paper cone packaging / Source: Infarm

In-store farm / Source: Infarm

DIVE DEEPER:

Producing food takes its toll on the environment. Agriculture accounts for more than 70% of all freshwater withdrawals globally, while a 2021 paper found that food systems were responsible for 34% of all human-caused GHG emissions in 2015.
In South East Asia, food and beverage packaging make up the highest percentage of plastic packaging waste per person. Meanwhile, selling fresh produce loose and removing date labels could prevent 14 million shopping baskets worth of food from going to waste, and 1,100 rubbish trucks of avoidable plastic in the UK alone.
Infarm is tackling both land agriculture impacts and food packaging with its vertical farming system. The company grows more than 75 plants, including leafy greens, microgreens and mushrooms. In 2023, it plans to introduce 40 new crops, including strawberries, peppers, cherry tomatoes and peas. Its scope is vast and allows for a reimagined future where we eat only what is locally grown, but are not restricted by the growing conditions of our place of residence.
The company has partnerships with 30 retail chains, including Aldi Süd, Amazon Fresh, Intermarché, Kroger, Marks & Spencer, Carrefour, Selgros and Whole Foods Market, but it's move away from Europe has seen partnerships with Aldi, M&S and Kaufland paused. At its peak, Infarm produce was available in 1,850 stores worldwide in 11 countries, including Canada, Denmark, Japan, the Netherlands, the US and France.
Its new growing centre in Bedford, UK could serve “up to 90% of the country’s population within a four-hour drive” when fully equipped, while its new US growing centre, in Maryland, will be able to produce up to 45 million crops per year. In 2023, the first farm in Qatar will open. Set-up is quick, with new growing centres reaching production in as little as six weeks.
In 2021, Infarm secured USD 200 million investment and is planning to scale up from 17 growing centres across 11 countries to 100 growing centres in 20 countries. To date it has raised more than USD 600 million and has a valuation of USD 1 billion.

"I am encouraged by the commitment and collaborative energy [of our]...suppliers...helping to decarbonise the supply chain. It’s only by innovating and working together, at speed and at scale, that we can hope to make a Net Zero future a reality."

Alexandra Morton - Global Executive VP of Supply Chain, Infarm

Key Design Considerations:

Is packaging really necessary?

Produce freshly picked from an allotment would not be wrapped in plastic, so why should produce freshly picked from an in-store farm be? Consider creating reusable fruit and vegetable packaging for consumers that like to keep their food contained. For produce coming from Infarm’s growing hubs, if research reveals that produce from less local, centralised growing locations has a longer life when packaged, consider plastic-free innovations.

Prioritise renewables

Due to the artificial climate, vertical farming can be seriously energy-intensive. 90% of Infarm’s energy use is from renewable sources, vital for ensuring it is not making savings with one hand and nullifying them with the other.

Do not underestimate experiential retail

People pay to pick their own strawberries, pumpkins and apples, and a growing desire to reconnect with nature in a consistently disconnected world is only set to fuel this market. Can you turn this consumer desire into an education and experience piece to drive uptake and involvement in vertical farming?