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Copyright: Billa | Harson
Food production
Herbs from the shipping container

Billa is trialling vertical farming: herbs and salads are grown in a shipping container outside a Billa Plus store in Vienna. The produce is sold directly in the store.

Billa is the first food retailer in Austria to test "Vertical Farming" - an innovative concept for local food production in urban areas. In cooperation with the Israeli agricultural technology company Vertical Field, herbs and lettuce are grown and harvested from local seedlings in a shipping container in front of the Billa Plus store. A second container is to be set up in the neighbourhood of Vienna this year. The plants are grown one above the other on several levels and sold directly in the market after harvesting. Around 2,000 to 3,000 units can be produced per month in one container - this means that the market is supplied with fresh herbs and salads from the container almost every day. To start with, there is parsley, basil, coriander, oak leaf lettuce and lollo lettuce - all harvested products are sold with soil press cubes to ensure a longer shelf life. Copyright: Billa | Harson

Sustainability in food production

"Vertical farming is a forward-looking idea to be able to offer food as fresh as possible. At Billa, we are increasingly looking at alternative concepts and ideas to support sustainable ways of producing food or - as in this case - to do it ourselves. Vertical farming means optimum crop yields in the smallest possible area and only a few metres to the shelf," explains Eric Scharnitz, Billa Sales Director, adding: "This increases security of supply and our customers can look forward to local product ranges: grown all year round and literally right on our doorstep."

The container started its first cultivation cycle at the end of July. Interested customers can look through a pane of glass and watch the plants grow. The first harvest of parsley, basil & co. is scheduled for the second half of August - from then on, the fresh herbs and salads will also be available at the Billa Plus store. In a second step, another container is to be set up in the Vienna area. from left: Eric Scharnitz (Billa Sales Director), Suzana Bauer (Billa Sales Manager), and Michael Eichinger (Billa Fruit & Vegetables Group Manager) in front of the newly installed container. Copyright: Billa | Harson

Agriculture in the vertical

The cooperation with Vertical Field allows companies such as Billa to grow fruit and vegetables in densely populated urban areas on just a few square metres all year round and anti-cyclically. This is made possible by 16-hour lighting with LED lamps, a climate control system that always ensures the optimum temperature and humidity in the room, as well as a separate water and nutrient supply for the plants. The climate-friendly effects are enormous: 90 % less water consumption, 50 % lessCO2 emissions and 30 times less space required than when growing on the ground. The protected environment also means that the use of pesticides is not necessary and the products are all of the highest quality. As the products are sold directly in the local market, transport routes are minimised and customers can enjoy fresh, locally produced products. Planting and harvesting according to demand and adapted to the respective location also ensures less food waste in the market. Copyright: Billa | Harson

Vertical solutions for urban areas

"I believe that we all need to think about how we will ensure that we can feed a growing world population in the future, while at the same time achieving ever lower crop yields due to soil sealing, monocultures, the use of chemicals and the consequences of climate change. Developing new agricultural land at the expense of our ecosystem and climate cannot be the solution here, but vertical farming can - especially in urban areas," explains Ronen Redel, VP Business Development at Vertical Field, one of the leading AgTech (Agricultural Technology) companies that develops innovative vertical solutions for the urban ecosystem.

If the Vertical Farming pilot project by Billa and Vertical Field is successful, further containers will be set up in front of selected Billa Plus stores.

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