We have acted for funders, national food distributors and technology providers to deliver vertical farming at scale in the UK.
Whilst the SOM for UK fresh salad, herbs and micro-veg is enormous the implementation of vertical farming technology at scale has so far been problematic.
Vertical farming technology providers' core competency is in creating and optimising farming systems. We have advised a wide number of providers, from start-ups to some of the market leaders in this sector as to how to navigate their way through raising finance and securing supply contracts.
Established infrastructure funders are looking for stable and reliable returns and can provide capital on economically viable terms. We have advised a number of funders on this and have served as a guide to the fresh distribution marketplace and the technology offerings.
UK demand for fresh produce is vast but the large retailers seek volume from scaled-up suppliers that they already know and have the capacity and capability to provide consistently high qualify produce at a competitive price. We advise a number of large operators in this sector and understand what their drivers are and how they need to be delivered.
Energy requirements for vertical farms are significant and is one of the primary Cost of Goods. We have advised on innovative methods that seem to address this.
We have considerable expertise in this sector and understand how harnessing all these elements can being vertical farming at scale in the UK.
Specialisms
- Corporate finance
- Commercial
- Intellectual property
- Real Estate
- Energy
- Banking and finance
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is vertical farming?
Sometimes called indoor farming, it's the practice of growing plants under fully controlled conditions in buildings, often without using soil, in stacked layers and using LED lights instead of the sun.
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What is the SOM for UK fresh salad, herbs and micro-veg?
The TOM is ~£14bn, the SAM is £3.2bn and the SOM is ~£1.1bn!
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What advantages does vertical farming offer over imported traditional products?
You can produce crops 365 days a year, unaffected by weather. Vertical farms grow perfect produce, don't use pesticides, have minimal spoilage and use upto 1/10th of the traditional water usage. They can be sited anywhere from urban areas to disused agricultural buildings. Leaves and herbs get to consumers fresher, taste better and last longer before they spoil. It's a system that can also yield far higher amounts of produce than using normal agriculture methods.
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Are vertical farms eligible for EIS or VCT investments?
We have secured a number of EIS advance assurances for start-ups and have advised on a number of EIS investments in this space.
