Walking into an indoor vertical farming growing room is an unforgettable experience. The sheer size and scope of the state-of-the-art lights, growing structures and trays and the precision controls at work amidst a wash of crisp, green leaves at Soli Organic still gives me goosebumps despite an entire career dedicated to equipment innovation and engineering. While there is an inherent complexity to the soil-based system Soli uses to grow millions of pounds of organic herbs and leafy greens, the key to scaling those systems is simplicity.
It may seem obvious, but the less complexity you build into a facility, the easier it is to replicate. With an equipment and building philosophy that prioritizes unit economics and quality, our replicable facilities model costs less than industry standard. This translates into Soli Organic's ability to pass the savings on to our consumers. By growing an outstanding product at an attractive price point, we can get affordable organic into the hands of our consumers, and our infrastructure is a big piece of the price puzzle.
By growing an outstanding product at an attractive price point, we can get affordable organic produce into the hands of our consumers, and our infrastructure is a big piece of the price puzzle
A great example of this philosophy at work is Soli's state-of-the-art facility in Anderson, SC – one of the largest indoor organic farms in the world, producing millions of pounds of fresh, 100% USDA certified organic produce annually. By optimizing square footage and filling it with the most resource-efficient equipment and climate-minded technology, we have been able to reduce operational costs in a meaningful way. For example, we offer our organic spinach at a suggested price of almost a full dollar less than average organic pricing. While pricing is always at the sole discretion of the retailer, we’re proud to know our growing models are helping to keep organic produce in consumers' shopping baskets every week.
Another standard aspect of our build-outs is how we leverage automation and robotics. There are two basic types of robotic equipment: elements that move things and elements that complete a process. The conveyors and systems that move plants and other aspects around the facility are essential. Soli also relies on another piece of automation that often does not get the same notoriety as the robots: our control system. This proprietary technology ties together every sensor in the facility and allows us to study and control climate, growth conditions and any other variable within the growing process. It gives us the precision control that enables our growing cycles and collects the data that helps us drive continuous improvement.
Our data controls and engineered simplicity are driving an exciting future for Soli Organic. These features power our ability to scale our operations to deliver products to more than 20,000 retailers nationwide. Our facility in Anderson, and proof of copy-paste in San Antonio, TX, demonstrate the promise and feasibility of indoor agriculture, and its role in maintaining a healthy and fresh food supply into the future.
Here at Soli, innovation is built into the sustainable infrastructure we designed with the environment and our customer’s wallet in mind. Over Soli’s 30-year history, much has changed within the food system; what hasn’t changed is our simple commitment to affordable organics.
