PITT MEADOWS, BC — Oppy has partnered with UP Vertical Farms, which will help the indoor farm introduce its produce to a range of supermarkets in 2022.  

UP Vertical Farms is a cutting-edge indoor farm leading the way with the upcoming launch of Canada’s first touchless, high density indoor vertical farm for growing customizable baby leafy greens, according to the company. Founded by Fresh Green Farms, the company plans to unveil the first phase of operations in the spring of 2022 with the goal of becoming the world’s largest and most sustainable vertical farm by 2023.   

“Vertical farming is the future of agriculture and we’re excited to take it to the next level to bring better tasting and longer lasting greens to consumers everywhere by next year,” said Bahram Rashti, co-founder of UP Vertical Farms. “Our fully automated system will revolutionize the industry by allowing for much higher yields, quicker production and better-quality control to produce locally grown greens in the most sustainable way.” 

UP Vertical Farms will roll out the first phase of operations in BC’s Lower Mainland in the spring of 2022, anticipating production of just under 1 million kilograms — or 6.3 million bags — of salad greens per year. Further expansions through 2023 will essentially quadruple the total volume, making UP Vertical Farms the largest vertical farm in the world.     

As Canada’s first hands-free vertical farming operation, UP Vertical Farms will be fully automated from seeding through to harvest in a humidity, temperature, water, light and nutrient-controlled environment that ups the quality of each and every plant. At UP Vertical Farms, leaves will never be touched by humans. 

Most importantly, UP’s high density vertical farming solution is a Canadian innovation for a more sustainable future and a heathier planet. UP Vertical Farms uses 99% less land, 99% less water, 99% less fertilizer, and 95% less plastic for packaging to produce over 350 times greater yield, using zero pesticides for locally grown greens. Additionally, UP’s crops will be grown year-round in a 13 to 21-day growing cycle using recycled CO2 and proprietary lighting technology for custom brix levels and flavor profiles.  

“We are excited to be entering the vertical farming space and bring fresh innovative options to our retail partners,” said Aaron Quon, executive director of greenhouse and Canadian category development for Oppy. “Bahram and Shahram Rashti are committed to bringing the freshest, most advanced and sustainable technology to controlled environment agriculture. We’re thrilled to partner with them.”  

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