A year after announcing their joint research and development work to grow strawberries indoors, Driscoll’s and Plenty Unlimited Inc. say they are expanding their relationship to build a new indoor vertical farm dedicated exclusively to strawberries.
After exceeding the goals set forward for the initial stages of the partnership, the two companies are speeding efforts to grow Driscoll’s proprietary varieties using Plenty’s unique vertical growing platform, according to a news release.
The new farm, designed to serve consumers in the Northeastern U.S., will provide fresh, consistent, high-flavor strawberries closer to berry-loving consumers who live in highly dense urban regions, according to the release. This strategy, the release said, will provide the fastest category growth to a mature market that has demonstrated appreciation for a high-flavor product offering.
“The Northeast is the largest berry consumption region in the U.S., with a dense population of berry-loving consumers,” Arama Kukutai, CEO at Plenty, said in the release. “Our partnership with Driscoll’s, coupled with Plenty’s optimized technology platform, ensures we can consistently grow premium berries closer to where these consumers live, providing fresh, consistent quality. We’ve successfully leveraged the expertise of the world’s largest strawberry breeding program within Plenty’s own controlled growing environment, maximizing the flavor of each berry and optimizing for both texture and size. We’re excited to bring our first indoor vertical farm dedicated to strawberries to life with the undisputed leader in the space.”
Driscoll’s 100 years of farming heritage and focus on delivering “Only the Finest Berries,” as its ad slogan states, has proven an ideal partner for Plenty’s sustainable, indoor farming technology, according to the release.
“Over the last year, Plenty has demonstrated its technological leadership in indoor vertical farming by growing our proprietary strawberries to meet the rigorous flavor and quality required of a Driscoll’s berry,” J. Miles Reiter, Driscoll’s Chairman and CEO, said in the release. “We are excited to see the initial success of our collaboration and look forward to expanding our relationship with a new farm that will drive category growth to the Northeastern part of the U.S.”
Plenty utilizes Driscoll’s proprietary genetics and berry expertise alongside its own advanced, indoor farming technology and plant science expertise to grow Driscoll’s beloved berries.
Leveraging the massive amounts of growing data generated by its platform, Plenty uses proprietary data analytics, machine learning and customized lighting to consistently deliver yields 150-350 times greater per acre than the field, according to the release.
As part of the partnership, Driscoll’s strawberries were initially grown in Plenty’s Laramie, Wyo., farm, the largest indoor plant science research facility of its kind.
