A salad grower is building a vertical farm in Kent, England, as part of a £100mn investment into the British region, Insider Media reported.
The company, GrowUp Farms, and sustainable infrastructure company Generate Capital announced funding of £100mn in one of the biggest investments in vertical farming in the UK, so far.
Using 95% less water than conventional growing methods, without the need for pesticides and directly powered by renewable energy, GrowUp’s farm is designed to bring fresher, longer-lasting salads to supermarket shelves all year-round.
Salads from the GrowUp farm are expected to save up to three million lorry miles per year by avoiding imports, and will create skilled jobs in Kent and elsewhere.
The company will soon start to recruit a 40-strong workforce to operate its energy-efficient vertical farm.
Kate Hofman, who co-founded GrowUp in 2013, said: “Discovery Park gives us access to on-site low carbon renewable energy which enables us to produce competitively as well as focus on our environmental impact.
