WATSONVILLE & SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Honing in on strawberry category growth, Driscoll’s unveiled the expansion of its partnership with Plenty Unlimited in order to build a new indoor vertical farm. After a more than successful start to the alliance, exceeding all goals, the duo will use Plenty’s unique vertical growing platform to serve the new farm and consumers across the Northeast.
“Over the last year, Plenty has demonstrated its technological leadership in indoor vertical farming by growing our proprietary strawberries to meet the rigorous flavor and quality required of a Driscoll’s berry,” said J. Miles Reiter, Driscoll’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We are excited to see the initial success of our collaboration and look forward to expanding our relationship with a new farm that will drive category growth to the Northeastern part of the U.S.”
Bringing together 100 years of farming expertise and sustainable indoor farming technology, Driscoll’s and Plenty will continue to grow consistent, high-quality berries closer to where shoppers reside, a press release stated.
Plenty will use Driscoll’s proprietary genetics and berry expertise along with its technology and plant science knowledge to grow the company’s berries. The company will leverage large amounts of growing data generated by its platform in addition to data analytics, machine learning, and customized lighting to deliver yields 150–350 times greater per acre than in the field. As part of the partnership, Driscoll’s strawberries were first grown in Plenty’s Laramie, Wyoming, farm, one of the largest indoor plant science research facility of its kind.
“The Northeast is the largest berry consumption region in the U.S., with a dense population of berry-loving consumers,” said Arama Kukutai, CEO at Plenty. “Our partnership with Driscoll’s, coupled with Plenty’s optimized technology platform, ensures we can consistently grow premium berries closer to where these consumers live, providing fresh, consistent quality. We’ve successfully leveraged the expertise of the world’s largest strawberry breeding program within Plenty’s own controlled growing environment, maximizing the flavor of each berry and optimizing for both texture and size. We’re excited to bring our first indoor vertical farm dedicated to strawberries to life with the undisputed leader in the space.”
This new indoor vertical farm will provide high-quality strawberries to consumers living in dense urban regions. Along with Plenty, Driscoll’s will also use this strategy to provide category growth to a mature market that has demonstrated appreciation for a high-flavor product offering.
What’s in store for this partnership as Driscoll’s and Plenty continue to carry out this strategy? Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow to find out.
