Les Fermes Ionaka France

This interview details Ionaka, an indoor farming company based in France. The interview is with Magalie Rosso, President and Founder of Ionaka.

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What is the origin story of Ionaka?

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Ionaka means Oasis in Malgach because I had the urge during the confinement to bring sustainable vegetables back to town, by saving resources and cooling the city.

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I focused on off-ground cultivation, and I found out aeroponics tower system that answers almost my requirements.

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What types of crops or plants are most suitable for cultivation in an aeroponic farm, and how do you determine the optimal conditions for their growth?

Most vegetables can grow in aeroponic towers.
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On the other hand, tubers such as carrots or potatoes are not possible.
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The most common are: salads, tomatoes, strawberries, aromas, edible flowers.

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What are some of the biggest challenges facing Ionaka in the future? 

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The first challenge Ionaka is facing is a psychological barrier for off-ground vegetables in France whereas many strawberries and tomatoes we eat in France come from hydroponics system!

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Urban farming, secondly, is not really considered as a credible type of agriculture therefore we have to prove the crop yield.

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Ionaka as a start-up has to get fastly new partnerships and customers in order to remain competitive and attractive.

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What is unique about Ionaka compared to competitors?

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Ionaka’s offer is not only based on producing vegetables and fruits but providing a CSR project to our customers.

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We provide farming as a service that includes a turnkey towerfarm with maintenance, harvesting, team-building, and a marketplace for our customers.

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Moreover, we have opened a new type of financing: donations and sponsorships.

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What are the key steps involved in setting up a turnkey aeroponic farm, and how long does the process typically take from start to finish?

We have 4 main steps:

1. Assembly of aeroponic towers (assemble the modules and screw everything) 15 minutes per turn.
2. The connection to electricity: we connect all the towers with an electrical wiring system in order to operate each small submersible pump.
3. Irrigation: we connect all the towers to a master tank from 600 to 1000L depending on the size of the farm. Water and nutrients automatically enter the tank and then by gravity, the nutrient solution flows into each of the towers.
4. Installation of the plants in the towers: according to the client's request we have previously grown plants that we have placed in the towers once the farm has been put into operation.

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What kind of technology or equipment is involved in your turnkey aeroponic farm system, and how does it contribute to the overall success and efficiency of the operation?

Tower farms are a low-tech system: the merged pump comes from Italy and it works only 3 mn per quarter, Our towers (Towergarden in the USA)  are made of Polycarbonate type PC/ABS, BPA-free. BPA is an endocrine disruptor. The manufacturing process of each tower gives us a carbon balance per tower of 18kg of CO2, including transport (sea transport).

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How does your turnkey aeroponic farm system ensure efficient water usage and conservation?

Plants grow in a soilless substrate: squares of rock wool.

Instead of soil, the plants grow in a rock wool environment, which provides the roots of the plants with oxygen and constant moisture, promoting fast and healthy growth.

The tower tank stores water and nutrients for plants.

Nutrients are essential minerals for the proper development of plants. This mineral mix provides an all-natural "shortcut" for plants, which usually have to find their nutrients in the decomposing organic matter of the soil. This results in better nutrient uptake and higher growth for a wide variety of plants.

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The solution cascades down each turn and feeds the plants.

A low-power submersible pump (50W), located in the tank, pushes the nutrient solution up the tower through a small central hose. The nutrient solution then flows into the tower, cascading down the roots of the plants.

Oxygen is the key to aeroponics! Oxygen is a carrier of nutrients. The droplets are filled with oxygen as they fall and thus allow the plants to better assimilate nutrients.

A timer allows this process to be repeated continuously, usually in 15-minute increments, to provide the plants with the right amount of oxygen, water, and nutrients at the right time.

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

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• Our revenue is based on new towerfarm sold with the Ionaka service
• We hire a new urban farmer as soon as 50 aeroponics towers are set up
• Each aeroponic tower provides 40 to 50 kg per year
• We have opened 5 new customers and installed 50 aeroponics towers

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Could you provide examples of successful projects or clients who have implemented your turnkey aeroponic farm system and achieved significant results?

I have 2 successful projects really interesting to share:

1. The first farm of 30 aeroponics towers in a clinic in France (170 doctors, 2000 patients): We have set up this farm on the ground in view of all the services of the clinic. It will produce 1. 3 tons of vegetables and strawberries. Vegetables will be sold at low prices to caregivers in a small weekly market A plus: doctors sponsored part of the tours in order to see the birth of the project. It is really a CSR project with health issues as a core issue

2. Also, we have installed the 2 main caterers in Toulouse: 6 towers for each in order to be self-sufficient in edible aromas and flowers and now they benefit from tasty and powerful products for all their preparations

How does your company provide ongoing support and maintenance services to clients who have established aeroponic farms using your turnkey system?

Our business model is based on hiring a new urban farmer as soon as we install 50-60 towers and one person is able to take care of 100 towers.

We get an annual redevance that enables us to provide our service.

The same urban farmer is responsible for maintenance, crops, and workshops.

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Obviously, we work as a team. For example, our small farms (6 towers need only one passage per week) and our big farms need 2 or 3 days per week.

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What have you learned that you wish you knew when you joined or started the company? 

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I would save money and time at the beginning if I knew my main trade targets for example hospitals or hotels.

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How can people connect with you or learn more about Ionaka?

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We are on Instagram and LinkedIn.

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Our website includes our blog www.ionaka.fr

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And don’t hesitate to contact us on the website to define your project.

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