An American agricultural technology company Plenty has opened the world’s first vertical indoor berry farm at scale, exclusively introducing Driscoll’s strawberries from the global premium berry leader.
Designed to produce over 4 million pounds of strawberries a year using a 914cm vertical indoor farm, Plenty Richmond will enable a consistent supply of nutrients, superior airflow, and intensive lighting, allowing it to support a wide range of crops, including strawberries.
“Plenty’s farm will boost local agriculture production and drive economic development, all while diversifying against risks and protecting the environment,” said State Governor Glenn Youngkin.
Plenty also applied proprietary software and AI to oversee ideal temperature, light and humidity across its grow rooms, optimising texture, size, and peak-season flavour while using a patent-pending method for more effective pollination.
“This farm is a model for the positive impact climate-agnostic agriculture can have, and proof that vertical farming can deliver the crop diversity, scaled and local production needed to future-proof the global food system,” said Arama Kukutai, Plenty’s CEO.
The first strawberries from the farm will be available early next year.
