Fischer Farms

Founded in 2017, Fischer Farms is a UK-based vertical farming company that initially operated in a shipping container growing short leafy greens. Fischer Farms grows a range of short-leaf products, including lettuce, rocket, watercress, chard, basil, dill, and parsley.

Fischer Farms claims that, by maximizing the use of land, its 4-acre vertical farm would produce the same amount of food as 1,000 acres of conventional British farmland while being free from pesticides and herbicides, resulting in restaurant-quality food. It uses the latest data analysis tools and robotic automation to optimize the growing process and can produce hundreds of harvests annually with minimal manual intervention. Fischer Farms is powered by 100% solar and wind energy and claims to use less than 5% of the water required for field-grown crops.

Fischer Farms opened its first vertical farm in 2019 in Burton-on-Trent, providing 3,200 sqm of growing space for various short-leaf products. In 2022, the company opened its second farm in Norfolk, the largest vertical farm in the world, covering 25,000 sqm of growing space, supplying leaf salad, leafy herbs, and fresh produce to UK supermarkets and other supermarket customers daily. In February 2023, the company announced the success of its first trial of growing wheat, claiming to be the country's first vertical farm to cultivate the crop in a biosecure, controlled environment. The company states that a 10-acre vertical farm can grow 273 acres of conventionally grown wheat. 

The company aims to increase the production of salads and herbs, expand into soft fruit, and grow soya beans, rice, and wheat in large volumes at competitive prices. Its goal is to achieve this using sustainable energy sources and to provide yields 250x greater than conventional farming by operating 365 days a year in a purpose-built environment powered by 100% green energy.

Key customers and partnerships

In July 2023, Fischer Farms partnered with Fresh Direct, a UK-based fresh produce supplier to the hospitality industry, to supply a range of herbs and leafy greens, including basil and watercress, grown at Fischer Farms' biosecure vertical farm in Norwich.

Funding and financials

In May 2021, Fischer Farms secured GBP 26 million (~USD 31 million) in funding from Gresham House, an asset management company, to fund the construction of its second vertical farm and employ, train, and upskill a labor force in this ground-breaking form of farming.