The REWE Green Farming Markt, a unique supermarket, opened in Berlin in May: whilst customers fill their shopping baskets downstairs, fresh lettuce is growing upstairs. Harvesting is now underway in Germany’s largest rooftop greenhouse, and the first mixed salad packs are making their way through the checkouts.
“With our rooftop salad, we’re offering something that nobody else has,” says Felix Thomas, the shopkeeper. “Now that the rooftop farm has opened, everything is complete, and we can emphasise our regional character with this extra-fresh salad.”
In just 23 days, tiny seeds turn into crisp leaf lettuce. Around 900,000 mixed salad heads can be harvested each year for the market and the entire region. But what journey do the plants undertake before they end up in the shopping basket? The ARD’s ‘Mittagsmagazin’ programme visited the new hydroponic growing facility and took a close look at how urban lettuce cultivation works right in the heart of the capital.
„Now that the rooftop farm has opened, everything is complete and we can highlight our regional character with our extra-fresh salad.“ Felix Thomas, businessman
Photo: ©REWE Ost
Our partner, ECF-Farmsystems, is behind the concept and operation of the glasshouse salad farm. The team led by founder Nicolas Leschke is committed to innovative food production in urban areas and already runs the rooftop farm at the first REWE Green Farming site in Wiesbaden.
