Microgreens Romania

This interview details Microgreens Romania, an indoor farming company based in Romania. The interview is with Cristian Tudor, CEO of Microgreens Romania.

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What are the latest happenings with Microgreens Romania?

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Right now the brand Microgreens Romania is transforming into Ultragreens. This reflects the business changes, from a microgreens grower to an Agri-Tech developer.

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Since 2018 we have started to develop our own vertical farming systems, going from small automated VF units ( 2 to 9 sqm distributed cultivation space) installed in supermarkets or restaurants to big GreenHubs, as we name our vertical farming factories. In 2022 we opened the first vertical farming production space in Romania, with 1.250 sqm of cultivation space, distributed on 7 levels. This facility has the capacity to produce over 1,200,000 fresh aromatic plants per year, all year round, with full predictability of quality, quantity, and costs.

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Most of the production is bought by a large retail network in Romania. And we have in construction an even bigger GreenHub, with 6.500 sqm distributed space on 12 levels, that will be ready in the first quarter of 2024. This facility will be a real game changer for our business, as the processes starting from seeding, germination, and growing, till harvest - are fully automated. This greatly reduces the workforce required and improves the precision of operations and the profitability aiming to produce up to 220 T of fresh leaffy greens/year. 

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What are some of the biggest challenges facing Microgreens Romania in the future?

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That is a real urgent need for fresh nutritious food, available all year round at a fair price. Climate change also puts pressure on the supply chain for large producers of fresh food that need leafy greens or fresh aromatics as raw materials. So there is a huge market demand for what we produce, and the challenge is to grow fast enough in order to take advantage of this opportunity. 

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On the other hand, we designed a VF technology that is modular and easily replicable, and there is a serious interest in Farming as a Service development. We must develop this line of business too, and this requires precision and the ability to manage farms from a distance - and this is quite a challenge.

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What is the current size of your growing area?

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We have approx 22.000 sqm of cultivation space, in 3 facilities fully operational. The VF GreenHub mentioned before, a greenhouse with hydroponic systems and another greenhouse with cultivation in soil. In the VF GreenHub, we grow a mix of microgreens and aromatics (basil red and green, parsley, coriander, lovage and mint). All plants are delivered to the beneficiaries as living plants with roots and this ensures maximum freshness of our products.

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In the greenhouse with the hydroponic system, we grow edible flowers and some specialty plants for culinary decoration, like red veined sorrel or nasturtium. The greenhouse with cultivation in soil is dedicated to the cultivation of a large range of aromatics in pots and also fresh cut herbs such as dill, parsley, and lovage for retail networks. 

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Do you use CO2 in your operation today -- if so, how much and what do you pay for it? What are your thoughts in CO2 usage in indoor farms?

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Currently, we do not use CO2 in our farms. At the vertical farming facility already operating, we have a ventilation system that takes up to 20% air from outside, and this ensures a good balance of CO2 in the growing space. Yet we designed the new GreenHub that is in construction with a CO2 add-on system. We will use CO2 generators that will inject the gas directly into the ventilation system of the growing area. By taking advantage that we will have no humans in this space, we consider to have a slightly higher level of CO2 than the regular level admitted by the wellbeing of people, in order to fasten and increase production.

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Energy is a big topic in indoor farming right now. How much do you pay for electricity (kWh)? Is it mainly from the grid or renewables?

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Renewable energy should be a big topic for all industries, as quick actions are required to mitigate pollution and climate change. Let's not forget that an indoor farm by itself does not pollute at all, on the contrary, it consumes CO2 and releases oxygen in the atmosphere, being carbon negative. How we produce the electricity that an indoor farm needs is a different issue, and I want to stress out the idea that pollution done by power plants is a failure of the global energy-producing system, not a problem of indoor farms. So people should stop pointing fingers at precision agriculture systems that operate in enclosed space, and start thinking of doing more to enhance the transfer to renewable sources of energy.

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Right now we consume around 50.000 kWh per month for the 1.250 sqm GreenHub. All of it is from the grid, yet we are investing now in photovoltaic panels that will allow us to generate half of the electricity required and we have the same project also for the new vertical farm which is in construction and where the total installed power is 850 kW a the expected consumption will be 260.000 kWh / month.

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How can people connect with you or learn more about Microgreens Romania?

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As I said in the beginning, we are now in the process of transitioning from Microgreens Romania to Ultragreens which also involves our channels of communication and the relevant information that we want to share. I think that the best way to connect is our page on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/ultragreensromania 

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