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Multi-year partnership will globally commercialize blueberries and caneberries cultivated in vertical farms
VU
AeroFarms, one of the leaders in vertical farming in the US, and Hortifrut S.A., Chilean global business platform, specialising in berries marketing, production and distribution, announced a multi-year partnership, aiming to develop blueberry and caneberry production in vertical farms and fully-controlled indoor environments.
The first blueberry plants of this collaboration are expected this spring.
David Rosenberg, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AeroFarms, commented that in 1910, blueberries were domesticated in New Jersey for the very first time. Now, AeroFarms and Hortifrut want to bring the new chapter for blueberries by domesticating them again in the state, this time in a fully-controlled environment.
The goal of the partnership is to expand the knowledge in sustainable farming and to advance the production of the next generation of berries in vertical farms.
Juan Ignacio Allende, CEO of Hortifrut said: “Responsible farming, high quality of fruit and a commitment to customer service are in our DNA”.
Hortifrut has bred compact blueberry plants for vertical farming and AeroFarms has optimized its grow systems for berry production. The collaboration considers the experimental site setup, planting of Hortifrut varieties, data analysis and potential further expansion. There are around 10.000 sq.m. of vertical farming space for development, research, and commercial production.
Hortifrut S.A.
Global business platform Hortifrut is a Certified B Corporation in Chile, that gathers berry producers of the two hemispheres with the most important markets and customers around the world. Its unique business model is based on innovation, varieties breeding, digitization, and sustainability. Currently, the company operates in North America, South America, Central America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
The company is known for having a genetic program for berries, sales platforms attending top tier customers around the world, over 4.500 hectares of one of the best berry farms, in order to supply all berries to more than 35 countries daily.
For additional information, visit their website
AeroFarms
Established in 2004, AeroFarms is a Certified B Corporation Company based in Newark, New Jersey, U.S. Two years in a row they were named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company and one of TIME’s Best Inventions.
Their patented indoor vertical farming technology takes agriculture to a new level of food safety and productivity while using up to 95 % less water and no pesticides versus traditional field farming.
AeroFarms enables local production to grow all year round for its commercial retail brand Dream Greens.
In March, 2021, AeroFarms announced the agreement with Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: SV). In the second quarter of 2021, they will become publicly traded on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "ARFM".
They expect to receive approximately $357 million in gross transaction proceeds, enabling the company to fund the equity needs of its development strategy, including market penetration, and expanding retail distribution, building new farms, introducing future generations of their farming technology, and entering new categories of products.
For additional information, visit their website.
For contact:
Jeff Sonnek
1-646-277-1263
