• Jones Food Company, which produces leafy greens and herbs using hydroponics and renewable energy, has partnered with Berry Gardens, the UK’s leading berry producer and marketer, to conduct trials to produce strawberries vertically.

• The trials will be conducted at Jones Food’s R&D facility in Bristol, UK, where the company will grow Berry Gardens’ premium strawberry varieties hydroponically. Upon successful completion of the trials, Jones Food will supply strawberries to Berry Gardens all year round (the latter’s current strawberry season is March–November). 

• Berry Gardens reported that there is already a high demand for vertically produced strawberries from its customers and that it expects to begin supplying vertically grown strawberries by Q4 2023.

<ul><li> Analyst QuickTake: With this announcement, Jones Food Company is the latest company in the vertical farming space focusing on growing strawberries vertically. Last month, Bowery Farming announced launching its vertically produced strawberries at select retailers and restaurants in New York while Plenty and OnePointOne made announcements to partner with fruit growers to vertically farm strawberries. Jones Food Company is also taking the partnership route and seems to be the first vertical farming company in the UK to vertically produce strawberries.</ul>