PlantLab opens the first indoor grow site in the United States

As a Dutch pioneer in indoor farming (vertical farming), PlantLab has opened a new production site in the US city of Indianapolis, the capital of Indiana.

The first overseas ‘Plant Paradise’ grows vegetables for the locals in a place where it was previously unthinkable: in a former battery factory near the center of town.

The first herbs and lettuce heads have now been harvested from the 2,000 square meter grow site and delivered to local supermarkets and food service companies. PlantLab will grow different types of tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and herbs in Indianapolis. The new location will ultimately be good for a total of 420,000 kilograms of fresh vegetables and provides employment for around seventy people.

Healthy and delicious

PlantLab has made a breakthrough over the past ten years with its efficient, worldwide patented technology for innovative urban agriculture, which is now in use in a commercial production site in Amsterdam and now also in Indianapolis.

This makes it possible to grow fresh, healthy and tasty vegetables on a large scale close to the consumer without the use of chemical pesticides. In an area of ​​only two football fields, it is possible to produce enough to supply a city of 100,000 people with 200 grams of vegetables every day.

Sustainable urban corridors

PlantLab has partnered in Indianapolis with Englewood Community Development Corporation, which works on the sustainable development of urban corridors. The products are marketed under the brand name “Uplift, good food for purpose”.

“The collaboration gives us the opportunity to mean more to Indianapolis society,” says Michiel Peters, CEO of PlantLab. “It fits exactly with our mission. We are not only increasing the supply of sustainable and responsible fresh food for local customers, but we are also creating jobs in a sector that is totally new to this region. ”

Need less water

This summer, PlantLab raised € 20 million in growth funds from De Hoge Dennen Capital as part of an investment round. Scaling wants to use that money to open theatrical production sites in the Netherlands, the United States and the Bahamas, among others. PlantLab production sites can be located anywhere in the world, even on sterile soil or in the middle of urban areas.

Crops reach their full potential by regulating temperature, humidity and light, while 95% less water is needed. The light comes from specially developed LED lights that provide the specific color of light that the plant needs for photosynthesis.