Vertical farm to launch in East Midlands

A technology company specialising in controlled-environment-agriculture (CEA), Vertical Future, has partnered with newly-established Northamptonshire-based vertical farming company, Syan Farms.

Launching with Vertical Future’s proprietary production systems, Syan Farms will also be brought on board as a research partner as part of Vertical Future’s wider research activities, focused on seed breeding, genetics, and robotics.

Syan Farms – a mainly family-run business based in Horton, Northamptonshire – was recently established to contribute towards the building of a better, more sustainable food system, tackling food security and other key issues. Able to grow fresh produce without the need for herbicides, pesticides or fungicides, and without use of soil, the Syan Farms team are able to provide ‘beyond-organic’ solutions with dramatically reduced emissions and water usage. The use of vertical farming also frees up land for local ecosystems to rebound from agricultural damage.

Vertical Future’s production systems will be housed in a new development in Horton, Northamptonshire, integrated with solar energy and rainwater harvesting in order to provide the most efficient model possible. This is Northamptonshire’s first vertical farm, aimed to serve restaurants, distributors, and homes with the freshest produce around.

Resh Diu, co-founder of Syan Farms, said: “The construction of our first vertical farm with Vertical Future is a great first step for us – and really just the start of our journey in light of our ambitious growth plans. It marks the progression that the UK industry is making towards providing local, sustainable produce all year round whilst protecting the environment. Our ambitions, team, and business model, combined with Vertical Future’s technologies and expertise are set to leave a positive mark on the growing vertical farming industry in the UK and beyond.”

Jamie Burrows, CEO, Vertical Future said: “Growing fresh produce in a fully controlled environment allows our partners to have a measurable influence on flavours, aesthetics, and other product characteristics – this is because we control all of the different variables associated with plant growth. Our systems enable our partners to do this in a sustainable way, year-round, on demand, and with absolutely no chemicals. We’re so excited to bring on-board the Syan Farms team to generate further improvements in UK agriculture.”