Onward and upward

GrowUp Farms, a fresh produce supplier based in Sandwich, Kent, is the first in the country to supply UK supermarkets with a branded, bagged salad grown in a vertical farm. GrowUp Farms launched Fresh Leaf Co.® into Iceland in February – a significant step in a move towards the UK becoming more self-sufficient and able to grow a variety of fruit and vegetables all year round for its own market.

Kate Hofman, founder of GrowUp Farms, said: “The UK relies on importing 67% of the salad we eat each year, and more than 90% in the winter. With the launch of Fresh Leaf Co., we are helping keep salad on the shelf while the UK battles with supply chain issues. We combine our innovative farming technology with renewable energy – using electricity and heat from the bioenergy plant next door. This is cheaper and more efficient, so we’re not affected by the labour shortages and gas prices squeezing greenhouse and conventional farmers,” Hofman said.

“Fresh Leaf Co. is ready to eat, doesn’t need to be washed, isn’t grown with any nasties, is affordable and lasts longer than other bagged salads. This means less waste, which is better for purses and the environment.”

GrowUp Farms has spent over a decade growing restaurant-quality salad in a controlled environment. “Vertical farming is just one area of innovation and technology that can be used to make the UK more self-sufficient, especially at this time of year when we’re outside the UK salad growing season,” Hofman continued. “We are doing things differently and making it mainstream, but businesses like ours have never been more needed for the UK and farming.”

More ingredients are also in the pipeline: “GrowUp Farms has spent ten years developing the technology and expertise to get to this point: growing salad leaves year-round commercially. Now we have nailed that, we are working hard towards expanding the range of produce we can grow using this method in Kent. Our R&D team are already solving some of the challenges that will allow us to grow other crops, such as identifying heritage seed varieties that can’t be grown conventionally and improving the growth cycle of certain plants. Vertical farming is very much a long-term solution. We want to work alongside traditional farms to support the UK farming industry in building resilience and selfsufficiency,” Hofman continued.

In 2014, the early years of the business were in London, with Unit 84 – the UK’s first commercial-scale aquaponic vertical farm, in East London. GrowUp Farms grew salad and supplied restaurants and independent retailers across the capital. But last year, Hofman and co-founder, Tom Webster, secured £100 million investment, leading to GrowUp Farms’ fourth vertical farm, Pepperness, in Kent.

“We want to continue to play a key role in helping the UK end its over-reliance on imports of salad and salad vegetables. We solve problems in food production by creating the perfect conditions to grow the world’s best plants, better.”

Merrychef eikon® e1sEasy, Fast and Compact

Filling the gap in the market for an entry-level high-speed oven, the Merrychef eikon® e1s opens up a world of new menu opportunities, with cooking times up to 10x faster than conventional ovens. Featuring easyTouch® technology and an icon-driven touch screen, the Merrychef eikon® e1s is simple to operate, allowing staff of any skill level to produce professional food results, without the need for excessive training. Perfect for small spaces and requiring no installation, the eikon® e1s, operates from a 13 amp plug and requires no ventilation – simply plug in and start cooking.

perhaps affecting the lettuce crop in a fortnight. Sourcing the finest heritage tomatoes that are hand-grown would be wonderful, but it’s an unstable market. Plus, with Brexit, everything has got more expensive in terms of supply and movement of goods. There are definite, substantial additional costs there. If you throw in tube, train and doctor strikes, a heatwave and a snowstorm, these external factors have affected everything dramatically. All of us are hopeful that things will settle down now – all we want is a little bit more consistency and stability,” Harrisson said.

This seemingly perpetual state of uncertainty for the FTG sector has brought ingredient sourcing into a sharper focus – and the emergence of plant-based options and more sustainable methods of production, especially with meat, is inescapable.

A US producer of hemp-based alternatives to meat and dairy, Planet Based Foods, made its retail debut just eight months ago, but has partnered with high-profile distributors and launched into several retail locations in the Midwest. Products include taquitos containing hemp-based meat, alongside the launch of hemp milk ice cream.

As a business, Tossed is well aware of consumer patterns. “Veganism is here to stay. We actually like to ‘veganise’ things, so instead of a specific option, we suggest making something vegan by doing this or that – just a few easy changes. We also looked at plant-based protein choices before launching a vegan chicken brand with Heura [100% plant-based meat made from legumes]. It tastes great and has the exact nutritional properties we are looking for. Sustainability and food waste issues are what people care about,” Harrisson concluded.

It’s undeniably a food revolution that’s gathering momentum.