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Managing partner Morty White said the firm views the controlled environment agriculture business less as a food business and more as an ‘agricultural infrastructure business’.
The greenhouse grower uses hydroponic technology to grow leafy greens and wants to make its produce accessible to more than half the US population by 2026.
Controlled-environment ag and anaerobic digestion both benefit from a shift from optimizing efficiency and cost towards to a focus on reliability, resiliency and redundancy, says chairman David Chen.
Data products manager Allison Kopf says the company has already helped facilitate about $250m in expansion and project finance capital through a process it plans to accelerate over the next 18 months.
Co-founder Ryan Lefers describes informal discussions with US government entities regarding potential equity support for its controlled-environment farming systems in water-scarce markets worldwide.
The Berlin-based firm is targeting beachheads in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific as it plans 40 new crops in 2022, including mushrooms and strawberries.
Regardless of the bumpy rides AeroFarms and AppHarvest have had in pursuit of public listings, investors are lining up for controlled environment ag.
Soli operated as Shenandoah Growers before a rebranding announced in October, alongside a $120m agreement supporting construction of three indoor farms.
The listed investor will acquire the asset in two separate 50% tranches, raising a new fund that will eventually own the entire asset.
The combined company has two facilities in the US with a further five to follow, along with &ever’s established presence in Germany, Singapore and Kuwait.