Murcia. Thanks to growing regions such as the Murcia region, Europe now has a production of spinach and other good quality vegetables, sufficient to cover the demand of its entire population. However, there are other environments where these crops do not enjoy the same quality due to environmental conditions Africa and the Middle East. Consequently, he was born in Murcia Respect With the aim of providing a solution to this market opportunity.
For this, the company has created Vertical farming technology Lettuce is grown hydroponically – with the roots directly in water – and the photons are supplied by artificial LED lights: „There are many vertical farming companies in Europe, but they all develop very expensive and complex technology and farmers don’t buy it. We want to make it simple and cheap,” says the company’s co-founder and CEO Murcia explains in conversations with Plaza. Emmanuel Leconte.
At this time, the first stage of development is reached, which allows Verdi begins marketing his system to the first farms. Although there is still a lot of work to be done to improve productivity. However, from the company they consider that it is already appropriate to take it to growing regions, so they are preparing to achieve their first business milestones abroad.
For this, the company is preparing Funding worth 500,000 euros They hope to complete the same by the end of 2023. With this money they will cover both the costs and expenses derived from the development of the technology. The first implementation in Africa, they plan for the end of the year.
With this objective in mind, they will promote their solution through social networks and special exhibitions, where they will take advantage of networking to reach the African continent, which will be the first target. Reach the lucrative Middle East market by 2024.
However, not only areas with unfavorable climates are suitable for this system Verdi hopes its vertical farming model will be closer to the region. However, Spain has a deeply rooted traditional cultivation model, and the economic viability of this type of technology has yet to be proven, which is expected to be achieved in about 3 or 4 years.
Vertical farming It mainly focuses on lettuce harvesting, It can also be used to grow aromatic herbs, microgreens, mini peppers or edible flowers.
„Historically we are dedicated to the production of lettuce. We discovered that in these emerging markets the import of lettuce was very expensive and the product suffered, so there was a place for a company like Verdi. The value proposition was there” , sentence Leconte.
