The objectives of PLNT are diverse: to provide local products with a focus on quality and sustainability, to sell high quality food directly to the consumers in the city, to inform customers on the range of crops that are available for consumption, to obtain a fair price for the products being independent for the mass market and to decrease the impact on the environment.
Main results / outcomes
PLNT is aware of the need of primary producers to enhance their position in the chain. In this context, PLNT invests in the promotion of the market transparency. Consumers are increasingly interested in the origin of their food. PLNT communicates about the production and also chooses explicitly for a short supply chain. Doing so, PLNT is not a price taker but a price maker. PLNT hence has a strong negotiation power. PLNT also keeps a direct relation with costumers. This interaction takes for example place when products are delivered. Furthermore, customers are encouraged to give feedback and propose new ideas.
Practical recommendations
PLNT is a vertical farm that produces various herbs and microgreens in vertically stacked layers, making the most efficient use of the space. By controlling the environmental characteristics, PLNT assures also the optimal conditions. It is an important source of local food for the inhabitants of the city and, in addition, through this brand awareness consumer will always know where their food has been produced. The farm is looking for a more environmentally friendly substrates and for opportunities to revalorize substrates after harvest. Vertical farming is a very innovative farming system, and a growing number of vertical farms are founded in European cities, in order to satisfy the demand of locally produced food of the inhabitants.
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