Jones Food Company has opened its second vertical farm, JFC2, near Lydney in Gloucestershire.
JFC2 uses 100% renewably sourced energy to grow crops vertically, including basil, coriander, flat-leaf parsley, dill, green lettuce, red lettuce, baby leaf pak choi, bulls blood, mizuna, komatsuna and baby leaf cress.
The company has claimed that it is the most advanced vertical farm in the world.
It opened its first vertical farm, JFC1, in Lincolnshire in 2018, and a dedicated innovation centre in Bristol in 2022.
“This farm represents a coming-of-age for agricultural technology in the UK. We have now cracked the code for accessible, sustainable, premium food being grown all-year round, at a super-competitive price,” said founder and CEO James Lloyd-Jones. “Commercial success in this sector has always been the challenge, but this farm smashes it.”
Lloyd-Jones said there was a place for small vertical farms but its new factory’s size and scale “really delivers” and could “revolutionise food production, combat climate change, ensure food security, address labour issues and maximise efficiency”.
“It’s a win-win-win-win.”
The company said it had focused on streamlining temperature and humidity control to decrease energy consumption in the new site and had implemented “massive innovation” in its irrigation system.
“These aren’t small steps, they are giant leaps which allow us to put ‘vertical farming and profitability’ into the same sentence for the first time,” said head of growing Glyn Stephens.
JFC2’s output now includes supplying own-label herbs as well as the company’s own Homegrown range of mixed salad bags and Lēaf, its range of sauces and salad bags, stocked in Asda and Ocado among others.
“JFC’s second vertical farm, JFC2, is an important strategic investment for Ocado and represents a significant step forward in this exciting and transformational space,” said Ocado Group CFO Stephen Daintith. “We are confident in JFC’s leadership and on their ability to execute on their vision – we look forward to supporting them on the way ahead.”
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