“Nobody has been able to scale indoor, high-care intensive food production to an industrial level that demonstrates real commercial viability,” explained James Lloyd-Jones, CEO and co-founder of JFC. “We knew that lighting would be the lifeblood of the facility and we’d need a partner who could see the potential and work with us to develop the right lighting set-up and spectrum to make our vision a reality.”
26 tennis courts
With a growing area of 5120 m2, the equivalent of 26 tennis courts, arranged across racks rising to a height of just over three storeys, the facility – owned and operated by JFC – will set new production and environmental standards for crop production of the future. With year-round local production JFC aims to slash food miles and produce leafy greens, herbs and other crops that can be delivered from harvest to plate in minimal time.
In addition, by designing the farm as a “high-care” facility, JFC will also be able to cater to the growing demands of cosmetics and pharmaceutical customers who require reliable supplies of natural ingredients. Every factor in the growth of the crops produced will be highly controlled; from the nutrient solution delivered to the roots of each and every plant, to the concentration of CO2 in the room, to the light wavelengths and duration of the growing “day” and subsequent rest period. Thanks to intelligent automation and advanced robotics, every plant can be grown in ideal, cleanroom conditions, untouched by human hand from planting to harvest. By comparison, conventional production cycles typically average 13 stages of human contact.
Arize
Malcolm Yare, Horticulture Business Development Manager for Current by GE commented, “We’ve spent years honing our technology in other industrial lighting sectors, and years more partnering with agricultural experts and researching the needs of horticultural applications. Our Arize LED solutions now lead the industry for efficiency and we continue to research new ways to improve performance through innovation. We look forward to working with Jones Food Company and our wider ecosystem of partners to find new ways to scale high-quality, global food production whilst reducing the energy and environmental costs of vertical farming.”
The Arize range of lighting solutions are low cost to install and maintain, with a market-leading 36K-hour lifetime (L90) and a five-year warranty to provide peace of mind and long-term reliability. An IP66, UL Wet rating also makes them ideal for high-care and cleanroom facilities as the luminaires can be easily washed and sanitised in-place.
For more information:
Current by GE
Jones Food Company