Infarm has announced plans to open a new 9,760-square-metre vertical farm in Bedford, UK.
The new facility – which Infarm claims will be one of the largest of its kind in Europe – is currently under construction and on track to have its first harvest in the last quarter of this year.
The farm will supply herbs and salads to retailers in the Greater London area and across southern and central parts of the UK.
The Bedford growing centre will offer more than 5,500 square metres of growing space in Infarm’s cloud-connected farming units.
When fully equipped, Infarm says that the ten-metre-high units – which each occupy 25 square metres of ground space – are able to generate the crop equivalent of 360,000 square metres of farmland.
Infarm appointed Pentadel Project Management to select a site as well as design and manage the construction of the new growing centre, and Pentadel has integrated rainwater harvesting into its designs for the facility.
James Kemp, managing director of Pentadel, said: “We are thrilled to be supporting Infarm with the delivery of this innovative facility that we believe represents the future of sustainable, scalable and resilient farming.”
Infarm’s vertical farms connect to a central farming “brain” which constantly gathers data to improve plant yield, taste and nutritional value, while further reducing the use of natural resources.
By the end of 2025, Infarm plans to expand its global network of vertical farms to 100 locations worldwide.
Jeremy Byfleet, UK country director at Infarm, said: “Infarm has a clear goal to expand in the UK market. Our second UK growing centre located in the “golden triangle” allows us to significantly increase the amount of fresh produce grown year round in the UK.
“The location of the facility enables us to serve 90% of the UK population within four hours, bringing the freshest plants just on time to our clients. Consequently, food mileage is substantially reduced.”
First published in FoodBev.com
