European grocer-anchored real estate investment and fund manager Greenman has unveiled plans for Potager Farm's first vertical farm in Germany.
Greenman launched vertical farming business Potager Farm, a subsidiary of the group, with the appointment of Mario Gatineau as managing director, towards the end of 2021.
Potager Farm has now secured €3 mln funding and appointed a contractor to construct its first vertical farm in eastern Berlin in a repurposing initiative.
The vertical farm will be funded 25% by the Greenman Group and 75% by its fund Greenman Open, joint venture partners in Potager.
Andonis Sarmias, head of facility and construction project manager at Potager Farm, said: 'Upcycling and repurposing this industrial building is not only a great opportunity to build an efficient, future-proof and financially sustainable vertical farming hub, but also demonstrates our commitment to Greenman's sustainability strategy, which follows a "convert not demolish" approach to our assets.
'The choice of the location, in close proximity to the Biesdorf Center retail park, is also a perfect example of how regional and sustainable food production can be brought into the urban environment and of how food can be produced within a radius of less than a kilometre from the supermarket.'
Comprising three six-metre-high controlled atmosphere towers with a total cultivation area of approximately 650 m2, the vertical farm will be installed by the general contractor Plattenhardt + Wirth in partnership with Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS) in one of the Greenman Open fund’s properties in the Berlin district of Marzahn-Hellersdorf.
Potager Farm is responsible for the concept design, planning and operation of the installation that will be completed in the third quarter of 2023, growing fresh produce to supply retail centres, supermarkets, retailers, restaurants, and hotels.
The farm’s irrigation tanks will use water caught by its rainwater catchment system and Greenman Energy, a sister company of the Greenman Group, will install photovoltaic panels on the roof of the building to supply the farm with renewably generated solar power.
Vertical farming is the process of growing herbs, leafy greens and micro veg indoors in a tower structure, usually in urban areas.
It often uses advanced farming techniques, growing crops without soil whilst maximising growth in a confined space. The vertical farm technology helps to dramatically reduce the number of food miles required to feed growing urban populations.
