“We began to study the vertical farming market and came to the conclusion that for the most part, it is tied to artificial light. Our system was created taking into account the shortcomings of modern vertical farming. We have come a long way and today we have a developed MLCS system. Therefore, we believe that our vertical conveyor farming technology allows us to replace traditional horizontal hydroponic farms,” says Nikita Makhalin, CEO of Ayola.
Ayola is a technology company that offers a patented Multi-Layer Conveyor System (MLCS) which is entirely automated. The system allows for growing crops such as tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumbers, peppers, berries, seedlings and even animal feed.
Nikita Makhalin
Benefits of going hybrid
“A distinctive feature of our approach is the complete automation of the growing process and the use of natural sunlight With a specific configuration, limiting or completely excluding artificial lighting is possible. Thanks to the conveyor system, we can therefore minimize the need for additional lighting which allows us to reduce energy consumption and costs,” Ayola explains.
On top of that, using a conveyor system minimizes manual labor and significantly increases the efficiency of the process, thanks to the innovative conveyor mechanism in its technology. The technology of vertical conveyor farming allows growers to automate processes and significantly increase efficiency.
Special features
According to Nikita, the system isn’t limited to crop cultivation only, but it can also be used for automation in other applications, such as growing snails, silkworms, and other insects.
The maximum height of the system is 23 meters, which doesn't require any garden trays. Everything is taken care of from seed to harvest and all is done automatically.
As Nikita explains, the size of a greenhouse varies from 100 m2, depending on the acreage. It can be either 100m2 or 30,000 m2 in the sown area. Yet, when installing a greenhouse many factors are taken into account, such as the climate zone, type of plants, and the product. Supplying globally, the company produces 80% of its equipment locally, which is currently in Turkey.
Interest from the Middle East
Nikita gave away that the company has been in talks with companies in the UAE as it has a demand for high-quality baby leaf products, animal feed, growing salads, vegetables, and berries. Whereas in Saudi Arabia, he has seen interest in drying onions and coffee tree seedlings.
For more information:
Nikita Makhalin, CEO
Ayola
[email protected]
www.ayola.info