Plenty Richmond, the world’s first large-scale indoor vertical farm specializing in strawberry cultivation, opened on September 24 in Richmond, Virginia.
Plenty Richmond Farm is designed to produce over 1.8 million kilograms of strawberries grown on 9-meter high towers, covering less than 3,800 square meters of land. This is a minuscule fraction compared to the land area required for traditional strawberry farming, which is also affected by seasonal and environmental factors that limit yield. The farm will cultivate strawberries for Driscoll’s, with products expected to hit grocery store shelves in early 2025.
Vertical strawberry tower standing 9 meters high at the farm. (Photo: Plenty).
So far, commercial vertical farming has mostly been limited to growing leafy greens, but Plenty Richmond is expanding this scope. With temperature, light, and humidity controlled in 12 growth rooms, pollination is also optimized to be more efficient than that of bees. Plenty believes this will result in more uniform fruit and reduced waste.
“Plenty Richmond Farm is the result of 200 research experiments over the past six years aimed at perfecting the year-round indoor strawberry cultivation process with consistent flavor,” said Arama Kukutai, CEO of Plenty. The establishment of Plenty Richmond followed years of scientific research on this model, involving various institutions worldwide, including the University of Queensland, Macquarie University, Wageningen University, the University of Florida, Basque County University, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, and the Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology.
Controlled growth rooms to optimize pollination and fruiting processes. (Photo: Plenty).
“Vertical farms typically grow plants indoors in stacked layers, providing stable yields and crop quality, but they consume a large amount of expensive energy for lighting and airflow,” said Paul Gauthier, a professor at the University of Queensland, Australia.
“If we create a more dynamic environment and turn on and off different types of lights and sensors in accordance with the photosynthesis cycle rather than keeping them on continuously, we can take advantage of cheaper energy during off-peak times while still maximizing the benefits of vertical farming,” he added.
“I have successfully made strawberries produce 6 kilograms of fruit per plant, even though people say the maximum that can be grown in a greenhouse is 2 kilograms. I have tripled strawberry yields by adjusting the environment and pushing them to their limits,” he shared.
The Richmond farm uses less than 97% of the land and 90% of the water compared to traditional farming methods, and it does not use pesticides. The controlled environment and shorter supply chain also help reduce the risk of crop disease.
