- English
Bosman Van Zaal are working with GrowUp Farms on the development and construction of a low-carbon vertical farm in Kent, UK. The new facility is designed for growing and packing unwashed and ready-to-eat salad leaves into retail-ready bags. It includes all farming and packhouse operations such as seeding, logistics, germination, growing, harvesting, mixing and packing. This project is part of a £100m investment in sustainable food production by GrowUp Farms. First harvests are planned for the 22/23 winter season.
Demand-oriented development
GrowUp Farms was founded in 2013 by Kate Hofman and Tom Webster. Since the start, they have focused on producing food at a lower cost that tastes better, lasts longer, is grown with a low environmental impact. The design of the new facility is based on their experiences and acquired expertise. In collaboration with the GrowUp team, Bosman Van Zaal’s engineering team have developed a bespoke vertical farm project with highly advanced logistics and robotization, integrated with high-tech data-driven growth support systems.
Vertical farming is the future
GrowUp Farms uses plants, science and technology to grow the best tasting food, without compromising on quality, ethics or environmental impact. They solve problems in food production by growing food better, in perfect conditions. They have led the next generation of high-tech food production since 2013 and want to take vertical farming out into the mainstream.
Tom Ehrman, Head of Engineering at GrowUp said, “We are delighted to be working with Bosman Van Zaal on this project. We needed someone with broad experience and skills across all aspects of vertical farming design and construction who could work with us to develop a solution to meet our needs”
More farms in UK
The new facility is the first in a series of large, low-carbon indoor farms planned by GrowUp Farms that will service the retail and wholesale markets in the UK. The company is already developing products beyond the salad range at their R&D farm at the Agri-Epi Centre at Harper Adams University.
Plant production systems
nBosman Van Zaal’s head office and factory is located in Aalsmeer, the Netherlands. The company develops, produces and builds plant production systems for the food and floriculture sector, the pharmaceutical industry and for agro-technology companies. They are raising the production of plants to a higher level and are responding to the increasing worldwide demand for smart and sustainable solutions.
