Kalera to open new vertical farming facility in Seattle

Kalera, a US vertical farming company, said that it will start construction on a new facility in Seattle, Washington, which is expected to open in 2021.

The new vertical farming facility will create around 60 jobs in the region.

The announcement comes in the wake of recent announcements of closing more than $150 million in fundraising in 2020.

Daniel Malechuk – Kalera CEO said: “With this latest expansion, Kalera will extend its reach into the Pacific Northwest, successfully completing our goal of providing hyper-local produce on a national level.

“Thanks in part to our optimized design processes, we have been able to extend into new markets at an extremely quick rate. Soon, customers from Orlando to Seattle will have access to fresh, locally-grown Kalera greens, every day of the year, regardless of weather, wildfires, or other natural disasters.”

Following the opening of the new vertical farming facility, Kalera will have six commercial growing facilities in the US by the end of 2021. Currently, it is operating a couple of growing facilities across Orlando, while constructing facilities in Atlanta, Houston, and Denver which will also open next year.

Kalera said that it leverages cleanroom technology and processes to avoid the usage of chemicals, while eliminating exposure to pathogens. The company’s plants are claimed to grow while consuming 95% less water in comparison to field farming.

Daniel Malechuk said: “Kalera’s incredibly efficient growing methods allow us to produce higher quality, fresher, and more nutritious greens with yields 300-400 times than that of traditional farming.

“Because of this, we’ve been able to maintain conventional pricing and partnerships with large national chains, making our produce affordable and accessible. With our expansion, we’ll only be making our high-quality produce more accessible as we spread across the country.”