"We combine the best of both worlds, deploying indoor farming techniques in a greenhouse setting. The result is a method that maximizes yield while maintaining sustainability, producing pesticide-free crops year-round," says Thomas Baars, co-founder and CEO of SemperVere, a new horti producer based in Venlo, the Netherlands.
Dutch agritech startup SemperVere has achieved a milestone this week, the production of 1 million herbs and leafy greens per week. This exceptional result demonstrates the potential of the company's innovative circular indoor greenhouses
Currently the company focuses on fresh herbs and baby leaf salads, crops that are typically imported from Southern Europe or African countries. Their greenhouses deliver up to three times higher yields per square meter compared to conventional greenhouses. The leafy greens and herbs stay fresh longer and retain their nutritional value better. Long-term partnerships with major retail and food service channels ensure stable production and market-compliant prices.
SemperVere ultimately aims to build multiple farms under its own management and offer the concept under license to greenhouse builders and growers looking for a smart way to produce food resilient to climate change—i.e., without the impacts of increasingly extreme weather. Additionally, output per kilogram will be increased through further optimization and automation of the data-driven cultivation and processing processes, which will also lead to lower costs, greater sustainability, and reduced labor dependency in food production.
In 2023, the company raised two million euros via Duurzaaminvesteren.nl to launch the 'first Circular Indoor Greenhouse' operational. Subsequently, LIOF, the regional development company for Limburg, invested in the company this past summer through its Participation Fund to support international growth, team development, and technology.
LIOF was immediately enthusiastic about investing in this Limburg-based startup. To achieve further expansion with an additional 5,000 square meters of capacity, SemperVere has launched a new crowdfunding campaign on the same platform. This will double production capacity to 2 million herbs and leafy greens per week, making the company one of the largest indoor growers in Europe.
"The aim is to create a new standard to cultivate fresh produce in a future-proof way."
For more information:
SemperVere
Thomas Baars, Co-founder and CEO
[email protected]
www.sempervere.com