This German Supermarket Grows Its Own Produce
In the future, a trip to your local farm could be as simple as visiting your local grocery store. This is already a reality at the Metro Supermarket in Berlin, according to Fast Co.Exist.
The Infarm, a miniature greenhouse, makes vertical farming and fresh produce accessible to the public by allowing shoppers to grab vegetables straight from the source. With this sustainable and environmentally friendly technology, transportation, storage and refrigeration are no longer factors in getting produce to the people.
The vegetables live their entire growth cycle within the glowing greenhouse, from seeds to harvest. A popular supermarket among Berlin chefs, Metro was a prime choice for Infarm, allowing shoppers to experience urban vertical farming.
"We got many interesting responses from chefs who saw vegetables they know — because they use them every day — but they'd never seen the plants at 15 days old," Infarm cofounder Guy Galonksa told Co.Exist. "This opens up new ideas for chefs. They really see the benefits of having a burger-sized [head of] lettuce and not a really big one."
The pilot installation, which has been running for six months and is slated to continue through the year, is currently growing herbs and greens like wasabi mustard greens and mizuna, but Co.Exist reports that the farm can be adjusted to grow anything including chilies, eggplants and tomatoes.
For more information, check out the video below.