Harvest London, a UK-based controlled environment agriculture (CEA) company, has secured an undisclosed sum of funding from Foresight Group, the listed sustainability-led alternative assets and investment manager, to build a 140,000 sq ft (13,000 sq m) vertical farming facility in south London.

The investment secured by Harvest London would facilitate the expansion of its current operations, thereby enabling the company to supply salads and herbs to customers both within and beyond London. The company currently operates two farms in London. 

Harvest London states that it has received positive feedback from its existing customers and is seeing an upsurge in the demand for locally-grown produce, which is likely to allow the company to venture into key retail markets. The forthcoming phase of expansion is also expected to lead to job creation and support the local economy.

Founded in 2017, Harvest London creates a controlled environment that provides crops with the precise blend of light, water, nutrients, and humidity necessary for their optimal growth. The company operates two farms, one of which is located in East London and has been in operation since 2020. The company claims that its farms enable crop production year-round at a volume exceeding what is achievable in traditional fields. Moreover, the hydroponic farming techniques employed by Harvest London are said to be pesticide-free and minimizes waste at every stage of the process.