Kuwait forms partnerships to set up first commercial indoor vertical farm

• NOX Management and German indoor vertical farming startup &ever form a joint venture – &ever Middle East –  in partnership with SAP and Viessmann.

Kuwait’s NOX Management and German indoor vertical farming startup &ever have formed a joint venture – &ever Middle East –  in partnership with German engineering companies SAP and Viessmann,  to open the first commercial indoor vertical farm in Kuwait.

Kuwait, a country that previously relied on European and overseas imports for most of their leafy greens and herbs, can now locally grow up to 250 varieties of greens and herbs using Dryponics technology.

The facility, with approximately 3,000 square metres growing (or faming) space, has a daily output capacity of up to 550 kilos of salad, herbs and cresses. 

The products are available in all leading retailers and coops under the brand name &ever Kuwait. 

“The partnership will enable the local farming supply chain to save on costs and logistics, to minimise waste, and to make a better choice for the planet. Previously, Kuwait’s restaurants imported all of our greens and herbs, mainly from Europe,” said Faisal AlMeshal, Director of Strategy and Business Development, NOX Management. “

The farm produces high-quality and sustainable crops indoors, which increase the nutritional quality and decrease environmental impact.

“Our aim is to bring better tasting greens with high nutritional value to more and more people,” Mark Korzilius, Founder of &ever, said.

“Farm to fork” model

The vertical farming method uses 90 per cent less water compared to traditional farming, 60 per cent less fertiliser and zero pesticides. Using a sustainable “farm to fork” model, the technology is able to preserve the plants’ nutritional value until the produce reaches the customer.

The farm has partnered with Viessmann Refrigeration Solutions to develop highly efficient climatized rooms which are used in its indoor vertical farm. The technology is 40 per cent more energy-efficient than other indoor vertical farming systems when it comes to energy use for climatisation.

&ever, using SAP’s cloud platform, will benefit farmers as they can monitor, analyse, and adjust hundreds of data points on plant health, airflow, light, carbon dioxide levels, humidity, and temperature in real-time.

 “Technology is the foundation for transforming customer experiences in restaurants and agricultural production in Kuwait, and for fostering diversified economic growth and sustainable agriculture worldwide,” Andy Froemmel, Managing Director of  SAP Kuwait, said.

“Digitally transforming Kuwait’s agricultural sector supports New Kuwait 2035 goals and helps to foster the local innovation economy and job creation.”