JFC2

The Lydney, Gloucestershire-based business closed its doors on 7 April, with 61 staff made redundant

Major vertical farm operator Jones Food Company has appointed administrators.

The Lydney, Gloucestershire-based business was placed into administration on 7 April, with 61 staff made redundant, the administrators have confirmed. 

The collapse of the business was first reported by industry publication Fresh Produce Journal.

Administrators Damian Webb and Stephanie Sutton at RSM UK have been appointed to manage the business. A core team of 11 staff have remained to support administrators in maintaining the site and assisting interested parties. RSM UK have been approached for comment.

“The company has built a state-of-the-art vertical farming facility with a highly skilled workforce,” said Webb. “There is a great opportunity for a purchaser to build on the investment to date to take the business forward. Further information for interested parties is available upon request.”

The business opened its first vertical farm, JFC1, in Linocolnshire in 2018 and a dedicated Innovation centre in Bristol in 2022. It then opened its “most advanced” vertical farm in February last year, the JFC2 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 claimed at the time that the facility was the most advanced vertical farm in the world.

“Our latest farm has so much patented and proprietary technology that we are absolutely world-class in terms of ‘vertical intelligence’, the robotics, AI, sustaina-tech and plant-tech that we have, meaning this farm is the envy of the world,” said CEO and founder James Lloyd-Jones.

JFC owned salad brands including Lēaf, stocked in Ocado, and Home Grown, stocked in Asda.

Ocado was a shareholder in the JFC business 

“Jones Food is an innovative business, and Ocado Group has been a supporter and shareholder of the Company for a number of years,” said an Ocado spokesperson. “As we await the outcome of the administration process, our thoughts are with all those involved with Jones Food”.

It is not the only vertical farming business to face financial trouble in recent years, with Future Crops, Aerofarms, Agricool and Upward Farms among others having to cease production.

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