Plenty Unlimited is partnering with a local investor in the UAE to establish five vertical farms focusing on cultivating strawberries. The joint venture with Mawarid Holding Investment, a subsidiary of Alpha Dhabi Holding, will span over the next five years, with an estimated total cost of Dh2.5bn ($680.7m). The initial investment for the first project is set at Dh500m. Notably, the indoor vertical farm in Abu Dhabi aims to supply the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including the UAE.
The GCC countries heavily rely on food imports due to limited arable land caused by harsh temperatures. Controlled indoor farming methods like vertical farms offer a solution to this challenge, enhancing food security for the local population. Arama Kukutai, CEO of Plenty, stated, “Plenty has built the most technologically advanced indoor-farming platform to meet year-round consumer demand and establish a long-term food security infrastructure adaptable to regions like the Middle East.”
Plenty, founded in 2014 by Dr. Nate Storey and former CEO Matt Barnard, primarily focuses on supplying leafy greens and herbs from its US farm network. The company has received investments from various private investors in the past, including retail giant Walmart and berries supplier Driscoll’s in the US.
Driscoll’s has committed to purchasing strawberries from the first UAE farm, with an anticipated annual capacity of about two million kilograms of fruit. The construction of the approximately 7,500 square-meter site is expected to be completed by 2026. The UAE farm will be the “world’s first commercial-scale vertical strawberry farm outside of North America,” according to Plenty.
Furthermore, Plenty is set to launch its inaugural vertical strawberry farm in Richmond, Virginia, this year, in addition to indoor farms for greens and herbs in Laramie, Wyoming, and Compton, California. Kashif Shamsi, CEO of Mawarid, added, “This joint venture allows us to utilize world-class farming technology to bolster local food supply across the GCC, beginning in Abu Dhabi, our home market.”
