Grodan plugs make perfect sense in Swegreen’s circular in-store farm systems

In 2019, by combining expertise in technology and vertical farming, Swegreen launched an in-store ‘plant paradise’ to help even the smallest retailers and restaurants get fresh, great-tasting and nutritional vegetables onto consumers’ plates with minimum inputs and the smallest possible climate footprint. “Grodan is the best solution for us in our precisely controlled circular environment,” says Sepehr Mousavi, Chief Innovation Officer at Swegreen.

It is not unusual for fruit and vegetable production to be a high-tech activity nowadays, with industrial-scale, semi-automated greenhouses and precision growing becoming increasingly common. But in line with the company motto, Swegreen is focusing on the other end of the spectrum to help shape ‘the future of farming’. “We were keen to combine our knowledge and experience of both vertical farming with advanced digital technology, data analytics and world-leading techniques to grow fresh produce as close to the end consumer as possible,” says Sepehr Mousavi, Swegreen’s Chief Innovation Officer and Co-founder, who has been involved in vertical farming since the early 2010s. “We have developed small-scale indoor farming units of various sizes and production capacities so that customers can grow their own leafy greens and herbs – from seed to harvest – in their own retail stores, restaurants or hotels. Many supermarkets have in-store bakeries for bake-off products, so why not have your own in-store farm too?” he adds.

Switch to Clean

Hydroponic lettuce and other leafy greens will soon start to dominate sales at supermarkets and chain restaurants. With up to 12 times the number of crops a year than from open fields and twice the crop density, no other production method can compete. Production environments must however be clean. Stone wool is both clean and inert, making it ideal for producing hydroponic lettuce and other leafy greens.

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Plant paradise

So how does an in-store vertical farm work? “The plants pass through various phases within the unit. It starts with the customers sowing the seeds into stone wool plugs, which we source from Grodan. The plugs then go into the germination chambers and are subsequently moved through into the nursery and growing phases until the plants are ready for harvesting from the plugs,” explains Sepehr. “We provide training to operators beforehand. It helps if they enjoy working with crops, but to be honest they simply need to follow the instructions they receive through the online customer interface, which they can access on an iPad. Our smaller models only need around an hour of attention a day, and we take care of all the technical maintenance of course. Most operators love working with this little ‘plant paradise’, because it’s rewarding to see the results,” he continues.

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Sustainability and circularity

One of the key benefits of the in-store vertical farms is that they enable customers to cultivate high-quality, nutritional, and great-tasting produce around the clock, all year round, in a sustainable manner. “For example, this system eliminates the packaging, warehousing and transportation steps associated with the traditional agricultural industry, so you could say it’s a ‘zero logistics’ solution,” comments the Chief Innovation Officer. “Besides meaning that the products are super fresh when they hit consumers’ plates, the significantly shorter value chain reduces greenhouse gas emissions, plus nothing goes to waste because the harvest volumes are automatically calculated based on need and demand.”

To maximize not only the sustainability benefits but also the economic viability, the team at Swegreen were keen to design a circular system. “We strive to work with minimum inputs and ensure the smallest possible climate footprint by recovering everything, including heat, nutrients, and water. This gives us a very low water footprint – just over one litre per kilo of lettuce, for instance. And we even extract carbon and moisture from the air inside our customer’s premises, which is good for the plants and good for the consumers,” he says.

Dependable performance

In the context of climate-smart production, it makes perfect sense to use Grodan plugs in the in-store vertical farms, according to Sepehr: “Within such a precisely controlled circular environment, we didn’t want to use any soil or cocopeat, so we conducted research into alternatives. When we heard about Grodan’s stone wool products, we quickly concluded that they were the best solution.”

“Quality is important for us, so we need to be able to depend on long-term stability from our suppliers and their products. We immediately felt in safe hands with Grodan, thanks to the company’s good reputation and because of the support we received from their R&D people and technical crop specialist. We soon identified the right type of plugs for us, and they have been performing as they should ever since,” he continues.

“Grodan’s plugs hold moisture and nutrients well, and their uniformity means that we’re able to regulate the irrigation intervals and nutrient levels with the necessary precision. Additionally, the plugs enable us to recycle the irrigation water and nutrients. As an inert growing medium, we know that no impurities will leak out of the substrate to contaminate the tanks, plus our customers can grow the plants without chemicals and pesticides,” he explains. Finally, he is pleased with the high germination percentage of the Grodan plugs, which helps to keep waste to a minimum for Swegreen’s customers.

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Plans for the future

Those customers include major grocery retailers ICA, COOP and Hemköp – who together account for 85% of Sweden’s food retail market – as well as high-end restaurants such as the one at Fotografiska, Stockholm’s photography museum. “We are delighted with the support of our early-adopter customers who have seized this opportunity to stay at the forefront of innovation in pursuit of their sustainability goals. Thanks to the integrated benefits, including reduced energy and water consumption as well as lower transport-related carbon emissions, our units can make a worthwhile contribution to a company’s ESG portfolio,” states Sepehr. “In that context, Grodan is a strong partner for us because the company shares our focus on continuous improvement. They are constantly working on various R&D projects related to issues like recyclability and biodegradability, so we’re looking forward to hearing about even more sustainable options in the longer run.”

Importantly, the eye-catching, futuristic-looking in-store vertical farms offer customers financial benefits too, he explains: “According to our retail customers, the units enhance the shopping experience, leading in some cases to a 20% increase in overall foot traffic and a 15-20% sales boost!” The company is already building

on this success and has received enquiries from as far afield as the Middle East and North America. “In fact, we have just signed a contract with EDEKA through their merchants Stadler + Honnor. EDEKA is the leading German grocery retailer and one of the top ten in Europe with over 6,500 stores across Germany. Our first facility will be installed this autumn in Munich, Bavaria. So, we are excited about this next phase of our mission to shape the future of farming – and we are pleased to be able to count on Grodan to support us as we expand internationally,” concludes Sepehr.

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