Walmart invests in vertical farming
Walmart has invested in Plenty Unlimited, an indoor vertical farming company. The long-term commercial agreement allows Walmart to source Plenty’s leafy greens for all its California stores from Plenty’s Compton farm beginning later this year.
“At Walmart, we are focused on identifying and investing in innovative food solutions to bring our customers the freshest, highest-quality foods at the best prices," said Charles Redfield, chief merchandising officer, Walmart U.S. "We believe Plenty is a proven leader in a new era of agriculture, one that offers pesticide-free, peak-flavor produce to shoppers every day of the year. This partnership not only accelerates agricultural innovation, but reinforces our commitment to sustainability, by delivering a new category of fresh that is good for people and the planet.”
Plenty’s farming technology platform delivers pesticide-free produce year-round. The company’s indoor farming architecture differs from greenhouses and other indoor farms, combining engineering, software and sustainable crop science to grow multiple crops on one platform, at unprecedented speed. By building its farms closer to the consumer, Plenty helps reduce transportation and food waste, keeping items fresher for longer in 100 percent recyclable product packaging.
"Plenty’s unique farming system unlocks industry-leading crop versatility and unit economics by enabling indoor growing year-round,” said Arama Kukutai, Plenty CEO. "Our farms can be sited anywhere allowing us to put fresh fruits, greens and vegetables on shelf at all times, at speed, for maximum freshness. As a long-time market leader in retail innovation, Walmart is an ideal partner to test and scale access to our quality produce for their customers. This is a game-changer for the agritech industry.”