Greener Crop UAE

This interview details Greener Crop, an indoor farming company based in UAE. The interview is with Alexander Kappes, CEO of Greener Crop.

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What is the origin story of Greener Crop?

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Greener Crop was launched during the pandemic when the vulnerability of the global supply chain was exposed, particularly in countries with a high dependency on food imports. I realized there was a large discrepancy between the need for local food production and the implementation of farming technologies capable of growing in the harsh climate of the Middle East.

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When I investigated the reason for the slow deployment of these technologies, I realized that there were several significant barriers of entry that made CEA farming too much of a risk. For one, the fragmented ecosystem meant that it was very difficult to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the wide range of technologies in the space. Next, the Gulf countries lacked the expertise to operate CEA farms. Another major issue was that most international suppliers didn’t have operational teams in the region and could only sell the technology but not install or operate it.

The farm management service that Greener Crop offers eliminates those entry barriers and enables new and existing farmers to launch and operate successful CEA farms.

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What are some of the biggest challenges facing Greener Crop in the future? ‍

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The CEA sector is experiencing phenomenal growth, which comes with opportunities and challenges. There has been somewhat of a “first-mover disadvantage” where the technology used by early adopters has since become outdated and inefficient to run. The result is a lack of competitiveness against newer competitors with energy-saving technology and longer hardware lifetimes. Our job is to filter through the marketing of products, and identify the best technology available and ensure that our client’s farms will be competitive for years without replacing expensive technology or hardware. Competition in the space is doubtlessly increasing, meaning that only the most efficient farms will survive.

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What is unique about Greener Crop compared to competitors? ‍

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Greener Crop’s farm management concept that aligns our success with the client's success makes us unique. We create synergies that allow for economies of scale usually reserved for much larger farms. Our central support for procurement of growing supplies, logistics, data analytics, and crop sales provides our clients with a competitive edge and significant OpEx savings.

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How do you measure the impact of your company so far? (Revenue, Employees, Customer Quantity, Production Volume) etc? ‍

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We measure our success by farms launched and harvest volumes. We have launched farms in the UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Iraq, and are launching new farms in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. Each farm contributes to food security, reduces food transport-related emissions, creates jobs in often rural communities, and provides the local market with fresh and chemical-free produce.

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What have you learned that you wish you knew when you founded the company? ‍

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I have learned a crazy amount about the post-harvest-supply chain, dealing with crop buyers, and the daily operation of CEA farms. It may be a blessing in disguise that I didn’t know about all these complexities beforehand.

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How can people connect with you or learn more about Greener Crop?‍

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Visit GreenerCrop.com and click on the contact us button. It will take you to a Calendly link where you can select a time for a call with our team in the U.S. or the Middle East!

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