Therme Group, the developer and operator of water-based wellbeing resorts, has announced plans to roll out the development of large-scale vertical farms at all its resorts worldwide, enabling sustainable and locally grown, nutrient-rich fresh produce to be available to its many millions of guests.
The roll out will be carried out by a new partnership between Therme RPC, Therme’s dedicated wellbeing food and nutrition business, and Intelligent Growth Solutions, a UK-based agritech experts platform.
Over the past year, the companies have developed a unique new concept branded ‘Therme IGE’ (Intelligent Growth Ecosystems), which will enable sustainable and locally grown, nutrient-rich fresh produce to be available to the millions of guests that visit Therme’s locations every year.
Compared to traditional agriculture, the Therme IGE concept drastically reduces water and energy consumption, using 80% less water and 400% increased space efficiency. This makes urban locations a viable option for large-scale food production. There are zero ‘food miles’ for the produce, which will initially include kale, rocket, basil and dill. The 100% pesticide-free concept results in enhanced flavours and nutrients, alongside an accelerated rate of plant growth. The development cycle for new crops is reduced from 7-10 years to 2-3.
The produce grown within the Therme IGEs will be used in Therme’s restaurants, bars, and skin products.
Therme’s global development programme is moving at pace to create a worldwide network of wellbeing resorts, all of which are set to incorporate Therme IGE technology. The Group’s current European locations will soon be joined by projects in Manchester, Toronto and in the Frankfurt Rhein-Main region of Germany. In the pipeline are also additional locations to be announced in Scotland, Wales, England, the USA and Asia Pacific.
IGS CEO, David Farquhar, commented: ‘This innovative partnership marks a radical gear-shift for vertical farming– integrating it clearly into a sustainable lifestyle and wellbeing approach. The importance of nourishing and nurturing people through Therme IGE is a fantastic idea, combining the best of green technology and plant science as well as expert culinary and wellbeing expertise. It is exciting to see how this can bring genuinely plant-based nutrition closer to consumers to improve sustainability and sustenance. The chance to announce this partnership at our exhibition at COP26 is one of the reasons we have chosen to be here. It is a prime example of why and how those producing, growing and utilising food can think and invest differently to bring environmentally and socially sustainable approaches to a global market.’
