Vertical Farm Systems

This interview details Vertical Farm Systems, an indoor farming company based in Australia. The interview is with John Leslie, Executive Director of Vertical Farm Systems.

Source: Vertical Farm Systems

What is the origin story of Vertical Farm Systems?

VFS was essentially created with a goal of providing healthy and affordable food for everyone on the planet using technology and natural systems. We wanted to ensure that crops could be grown all year round in any location in any climate whilst using minimal power, water and without harmful pesticides, herbicides or inorganic fertilisers. Of course, we knew that that was only half the challenge and if our system was to be taken up in a big way, it would have to be commercially sound, last the distance and be safe and simple to operate.

Source: Vertical Farm Systems

What are some of the biggest challenges facing Vertical Farm Systems in the future? 

Right now, our business would really benefit from having local representation in North America, we get daily enquiries from the region and having boots on the ground there would mean a quantum leap in our business potential.

We are a small, dedicated team with 101 ideas just bursting to be commercialised, be it insect protein, algae production or batch growing of forests, we want to make a difference.

Source: Vertical Farm Systems

What is unique about Vertical Farm Systems compared to competitors? 

We understand that our customers must be profitable, that is why our system leaves the competition behind in terms of automation. Our systems are all designed to be run by a single operator. Every task from filling benches with grow media, seeding, growing and harvesting are all automated.

We are extremely proud of the fact that our machines recycle the grow media, water and nutrients. This is unparalleled in the industry.

Source: Vertical Farm Systems

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

We are providing game changer solutions for our customers, we know this from feedback, this is how we measure the impact of our business. One customer can now grow leafy greens affordably all year round even when it is -15°C outside. Another customer has made our equipment the heart of their US$1Billion farm.

Equally important is the VFS family, the sole of the business. We know that without the right people we may as well shut the doors. VFS fosters an environment where our team is happy, well supported and enjoys coming to work. We understand that our team has family, friends and a life outside of work and that can be bumpy too. We tackle stuff together and we have each other’s backs, this is who we are.

Source: Vertical Farm Systems

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? 

We do offer the option for customers to use CO² in our systems. There is a strong relationship between PAR light levels and beneficial CO² enrichment and in a commercial operation the cost of electricity for lighting and the cost of CO² which need to be determined to establish the benefit of reducing one and increasing the other.

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?

We are a Vertical Farming equipment manufacturer with systems installed in New Zealand, UK and Canada - electricity costs in Australia vary from state to state as they do in North America and elsewhere.  In our own demonstration facility in Queensland Australia we are 100% solar during daylight hours and grid powered during the night.

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

VFS has taken on some very gnarly engineering challenges and we’ve learnt of many ways how not to do things. However, those mistakes have been invaluable and made us stronger and smarter. We’ve also learnt that designing and building great products is not enough to be successful, equally important are great logistics, an awesome installation team and committed customer support.

We’ve also come to expect the unexpected and to ‘have eyes in the back of your head’. Curve balls come at you from all over the field, get back up, dust yourself off and work the problem.

Source: Vertical Farm Systems

How can people connect with you or learn more about Vertical Farm Systems?

We have a great website (www.verticalfarms.com.au) which shows systems in operation and how the technology works. It also shows some of the other exciting things that we are working on too such as growing animal fodder.

Pay us or one of our distributors a visit and see a system in operation! We have working systems in Queensland, Australia, Canterbury, New Zealand and Ontario, Canada. Our VFS family is super friendly and more than happy to give a tour.

Allow us to talk vertical farms at you! - pick up the phone and speak to one of our super friendly team members.

Asia Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download the Free Sample Report

Mark-Horler

"For a target audience that is trying to understand the basics of vertical farming, this is a quality newsletter to subscribe to"

- James Pateras, CEO, Modular Farms Australia

North America Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download The Free Sample Report

Mark-Horler

"The North America Vertical Farming Companies Report 2023 aggregates many sources of public information on many different companies so that you don't have to do the research yourself, it's worth the money and saves a lot of time"

- John Ireland, CEO, NTP Technologies

Europe Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download the Free Sample Report

Helen Andrew Spare Harvest

"As a business development manager supporting the indoor agriculture, CEA, and food tech industries, I can say Urban Vine guides and their insider newsletter provide detailed information often difficult to find online."

- Irena Lundberg, CleanTech Invest Stockholm

Middle East Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download the Free Sample Report

Mark-Horler

"As a marketing professional in the indoor agriculture industry, Urban Vine's newsletters, reports and guides are an excellent resource for keeping up-to-date with news and developments in vertical farming."

- Steven Mitchell, Product Manager, Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS) UK

All Indoor Farming Company Interviews

Oreon

December 1, 2023

This interview details Oreon, an innovative developer and manufacturer of high-tech water-cooled top & multi-layer LED grow lights company based in the Netherlands. The interview is with Peter Barentsen, International Sales Manager of Oreon. To learn more about Oreon and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Agricola BioFarm

December 15, 2023

This interview details Agricola BioFarm, an indoor farming company based in Venezuela. The interview is with Diógenes Infante, Ph.D., Director of Agricola BioFarm. To learn more about Agricola BioFarm and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Vertical Harvest

March 19, 2024

This interview details Vertical Harvest, an indoor farming company based in the United States. The interview is with Vertical Harvest. To learn more about Vertical Harvest and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Urban Stalk Inc.

December 1, 2023

This interview details Urban Stalk Inc., an indoor farming company based in Canada. The interview is with Brent Downey, Founder & CEO of Urban Stalk Inc.. To learn more about Urban Stalk Inc. and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Bioline Agrosciences

December 6, 2023

This interview details Bioline Agrosciences, a Biological Control Agroscience company based in the UK. The interview is with Simon Beasley, Technical Agronomist of Bioline Agrosciences. To learn more about Bioline Agrosciences and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Grönska

December 1, 2023

This interview details Grönska, an indoor farming company based in Sweden. The interview is with Ingrid Lund, Head of R&D at Grönska. To learn more about Grönska and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Graze-it

November 19, 2023

This interview details Graze-it, an indoor farming company based in the UAE. The interview is with Alexandre Allegue, CEO of Graze-it. To learn more about Graze-it and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Piedmont Microgreens

November 19, 2023

This interview details Piedmont Microgreens, an indoor farming company based in the United States. The interview is with Garrett Corwin, Founder of Piedmont Microgreens. To learn more about Piedmont Microgreens and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Neon Greens

November 28, 2023

This interview details Neon Greens, a radically fresh produce company crafting made-to-order salads with fresh-cut greens based in the United States. The interview is with Josh Smith, Owner of Neon Greens. To learn more about Neon Greens and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Novarbo Oy

November 17, 2023

This interview details Novarbo Oy, a supplier of fully automated Vertical Farming systems based in Finland. The interview is with Dr. Petri Konttinen, Technical Director, D.Sc. (Tech) of Novarbo. To learn more about Novarbo Oy and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview