RED Horticulture

This interview details RED Horticulture, an indoor farming technology company based in France. The interview is with Louis Golaz, CEO of RED Horticulture.

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‍What is the origin story of RED Horticulture?

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RED Horticulture was founded by Yassine (President and CTO of RED Horticulture) and myself, driven by our shared passion for innovation, high-tech solutions, and plants. My family background in agriculture, particularly with my grandfather being an apple and pear farmer and my uncle in the seed breeding business, meant I was always surrounded by plant cultivation. This interest led me to engineering studies, where I met Yassine. Our shared passions led us to visit a high-tech greenhouse seven years ago. We were astounded by the advanced technology, like climate computers and cogeneration units, which transformed gas into heat, electricity, and even CO2 for photosynthesis. This experience sparked our interest in greenhouse technology, particularly artificial lighting. At that time, most growers were transitioning from high-pressure sodium lamps to LEDs, but they were using LEDs in the same way as the old HPS. Recognizing a gap in the market, we aimed to bring more flexibility and intelligence to greenhouse lighting. This led to the birth of RED Horticulture, starting with our dynamic luminaire that allowed control over different wavelengths to now offering an AI powered platform where our light strategies are automatized based on the environment settings and plant objectives given by the grower. From our initial two-person team, we've expanded to around 40 members.

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What are some of the biggest challenges facing RED Horticulture in the future? 

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Our major challenge is the development of a wide range of light strategies for different plant development stages and even down to the variety level. We're constantly finding ways to add value across the agricultural value chain, ensuring our solutions are accessible to as many growers as possible. To address this, we invested in creating our own research lab, where we can simultaneously test over 18 light strategies. This facility allows us to pioneer the science behind light's impact on plants. Another significant challenge is scaling up our system to meet the demands from various clients around the world, which requires a lot of resources and careful planning.

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What is unique about RED Horticulture compared to competitors? 

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RED Horticulture stands out because of our unique vision and approach. While most of our competitors, who are primarily LED manufacturers, focus on producing high-quality, high-efficiency LEDs with a fixed spectrum, we have taken a different path. We emphasize the control and adaptability of LED technology. Our products, unlike traditional fixed-spectrum LEDs, offer dynamic control over different wavelengths, adding more flexibility, automation, and intelligence to lighting systems. This adaptability is particularly important as LEDs are nearing their theoretical limits of efficiency. Our approach is not just about providing lighting but enhancing the entire ecosystem in which plants are grown. And also we add on top the on-site and off-site support from our agronomy team to help improve the parametrization of the system. 

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How do you measure the impact of RED Horticulture so far? 

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The impact of RED Horticulture can be seen at multiple levels. For growers, the adoption of our lighting strategies has led to significant improvements like reducing crop cycles for strawberries by up to two weeks and enhancing seed breeding processes. We focus on metrics such as yield per kilowatt-hour to determine energy efficiency and profitability in greenhouses. Our growth from a two-person startup to a 40-person company spread across three European locations is a testament to our impact. We work across the agricultural value chain, dealing with seed breeders, young plant growers, and various crop growers, including tomato, cucumber, and strawberry growers, as well as in the cut flower and medical cannabis sectors.

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

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Looking back, I think not knowing the extent of the investment and effort required was a blessing in disguise. It allowed us to dive in with passion and fully commit to our vision. We've enjoyed every step of this journey. One key lesson is the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people and really understanding the needs of your clients. Developing technology that resonates with and is meaningful to our clients has been central to our approach.

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How can people connect with you or learn more about RED Horticulture?

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People interested in connecting with RED Horticulture or learning more about our work can visit our website (https://www.horticulture.red/en/), follow RED Horticulture on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/redhorticulture/), or follow my personal LinkedIn page (linkedin.com/in/louis-golaz-a3a18a13b). We regularly post updates about our company, our clients' installations, and the results of our R&D efforts. For anyone keen on understanding how light affects plant growth, these platforms are the best resources for staying up to date with our latest developments and insights.