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Crop One Holdings and Emirates Inflight Catering announced this week that they have opened Emirates Crop One, which they say is “the world’s largest vertical farm”.
The over 330,000 square foot facility is located at Dubai World Central in Dubai, United Arab Emirates adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport. It has the capacity to produce more than 2 million pounds of herbs per year.
The institute started its work in the year In 2018, Crop One, a domestic vertical farming company, and Emirates Airlines, the food processing arm of Emirates Airlines, signed a $40 million joint venture to build Emirates Crop One. AgFunder reports that the $40 million is mostly debt-financed.
Dubbed Eco 1, the farm uses 95% less water than field crops and yields three tons per day, according to the companies. Passengers on Emirates and other airlines will be able to eat leafy greens, including lettuce, arugula, mixed salad greens and spinach, on their flights from this month.
You can buy the products in stores under the Bustanika brand across the UAE. The greens do not require pre-washing and are grown without pesticides, herbicides or chemicals.
“We are proud to bring Crop1’s best-in-class technology to this innovative food manufacturing facility with our joint venture partner,” CropOne CEO Craig Ratajczyk said in a written statement. Eco 1 will address growing supply chain challenges and food security issues by providing millions of new consumers with access to vertical agricultural production. It is our mission to develop a sustainable future to meet the global demand for fresh, local food, and this new farm is the embodiment of that commitment. This new facility will serve as a model for what is possible around the world.
This is the crop’s second permanent farm, next to its main facility in Millis, Massachusetts.
Emirates Crop One joins vertical farms being developed around the world. In May, Bowery Farms opened its vertical farm in Pennsylvania. While no size was given for the facility, my colleague Brian Heiter wrote that it is suspected to be 156,000 square feet. Earlier this year, Upward Farms planned a 250,000-square-foot permanent farm in Pennsylvania to open in mid-2023.
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