Farmony joins Sananbio to expand vertical farming in Europe

20 May 2020

Image: © Martin Bergsma/Stock.adobe.com

Dublin-based vertical farming start-up Farmony will work with Sananbio to build a network of vertical farms across Europe.

Irish vertical farming start-up Farmony has announced that it signed a European distribution agreement with US LED horticultural lighting and vertical farming equipment provider Sananbio.

Through the partnership, the Dublin-based urban agriculture business will build a network of interconnected, controlled-environment vertical farms across Europe, with the support of Sananbio’s equipment.

Farmony, which was founded in 2018, will incorporate Sananbio’s Radix technology into its controlled-environment solutions. The Irish company, which has offices in Dublin and mainland Europe, provides an operating system through a combination of software and hardware, customised specifically for vertical farming applications.

Adapting to changes

John Paul Prior, strategy and sales director of Farmony, said: “As our climate continues to change and populations across the globe expand, food production must evolve in order to keep pace with these unprecedented changes.

“We are delighted to announce our partnership with Sananbio; global leaders in cutting-edge vertical farming technology developed to empower the modern farmer and spur sustainable local food production.”

Image of three men in lab coats and hair nets standing beside crops being grown in a vertical farming set-up.

From left: Rodrigo Andrade, Dan O‘Brien and John Paul Prior. Image: Farmony

Sananbio’s vice-president of sales, Michael Yates, added that Farmony is the “ideal partner” to expand the US company’s technology into the European market.

“With over one million square feet of commercial vertical farms currently using Radix, farmers and investors in more than 10 countries believe in our company’s highly engineered grow technology.

“In Farmony, we have a partner that adds significant value to our product offering through exceptional sales and marketing, IoT focus and new product development.”

Expansion plans

Farmony’s technology provides producers with grow recipes, real-time alerts and feedback on the efficiencies of their farm, while automating dosage, irrigation and lighting.

The start-up said that through the aggregation of the associated growing data from its network of producers, it can optimise yields and improve output through machine learning.

The partnership with Sananbio will facilitate year-round pesticide-free growth of leafy greens, microgreens and herbs from a footprint of 55 sq metres, producing the output equivalent of five acres of traditional farmland.

Farmony recently opened a new facility in Poland to support its European expansion plans.

Kelly Earley was a journalist with Silicon Republic

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