Oishii, a US-based indoor vertical farm company, recently unveiled its state-of-the-art solar-powered vertical strawberry farm in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. The new 237,400-square-foot Amatalas Farm, housed in a refurbished plastics warehouse with an adjacent 50-acre solar panel farm, is designed to significantly increase strawberry yields by more than 20 times.
Utilizing a blend of technology, nature, and human expertise, Oishii’s innovative farming approach integrates robots, bees, and expert growers under one roof. The farm features individual farm units with 250 moving racks, each stacked with eight growing levels that move in a 24-hour cycle to optimize growing conditions.
CEO and Co-founder Hiroki Koga highlighted the farm’s advanced climate control system, which replicates ideal conditions for plant and bee health. The company’s proprietary robots, monitoring the farm 24/7, capture over 60 billion data points annually to ensure optimal plant growth and pollination.
With a focus on sustainability, Oishii’s new farm operates primarily on renewable energy sources and incorporates a water purification system to recycle water usage. Koga emphasized the company’s commitment to reducing energy consumption and environmental impact, citing a 14% decrease in energy usage per plant with the implementation of LED lights.
The success of Oishii’s vertical farming model lies in its ability to control every aspect of the growing environment, allowing for year-round production of high-quality, pesticide-free strawberries. Koga expressed confidence in the future of vertical farming, emphasizing its potential to address global food production challenges while minimizing resource consumption.