Kalera, headquartered in Orlando, has finalized phase one of construction at the Changi Logistics Centre with the completion of the core structure for the fully automated farm. The multi-layer vertical farm will allow crops to grow throughout the year in any climate, in a controlled environment that mitigates risk of pathogens and maximizes taste and texture appeal.
“The new indoor farm will change consumption of locally-grown and harvested greens in Singapore as we know it,” said Henner Schwarz, Chief Commercial Officer at Kalera. “We’ll be producing 500,000 kilograms of greens each year, which can be harvested right before consumption, resulting in higher nutritional value, less food waste and reduced CO2 emissions. We’re expecting the first harvest in the third quarter.”
Kalera is a leader in sustainable indoor vertical farming.
“The new farm will offer holistic support to Singapore’s long-term food security plan, which gained added significance during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Kerstin Köhler, Country Manager, Singapore at Kalera. “By changing the way food is grown and eaten, our Singapore farm, paired with our R&D center, will continue to drive the global urban farming revolution.”
This initiative is made possible through the Singapore Food Agency’s (SFA) 30 x 30 Express Grant, which supports the local agri-industry to produce 30% of Singapore’s nutritional needs locally and sustainably by 2030. The grant will help to ramp up local production of leafy vegetables through Kalera’s patented ‘Dryponics’ cultivation method which keeps the plants alive with roots intact and allows consumers to harvest the plants just before consumption for better-tasting greens.
“In our 50-foot-tall indoor farm we use a fully automated advanced farming system that covers the seeding to harvesting process, has full climate control, and enables compact, modular and high-quality plant growth,” Köhler adds.
At the Singapore location, 11 employees have been hired with more planned. Kalera is hiring for positions in production, engineering, business development and other areas throughout the world.
Kalera acquired global leader in baby leaf indoor farming &ever in August 2021, who started the construction on the vertical farm in October 2021. Kalera continues to expand and will open its Denver farm in March 2022, with four additional farms in Seattle, Columbus, Ohio, Honolulu and St. Paul, Minn., currently under development.
