"Its natural insulation keeps energy costs low since only LED lights are needed for plant growth, as well as getting a decent temperature. This makes us benefit from the stable temperatures year-round, translating into an energy-efficient operation. This setup benefits from the cave's stable temperatures and high energy efficiency," says Rafik Halabi, co-founder of Gruvegrønt, a vertical farm based inside a cave complex, just outside of Oslo. With an offering of fresh greens, microgreens, and soon mushrooms, Rafik and his co-founder Peyman Karim Afshar, are set to expand the product portfolio given the growing demand.
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Rafik Halabi and Peyman Karim Afshar, founders of Gruvegrønt
Protected by nature
Rafik and Peyman have plenty of room left in their 'playground' of 30,000m2 cave, of which he only uses about 1000m2, with the vertical farm taking up to 300m2 of floor space. Owned by a local recycling company, the cave offers several advantages for an indoor farm, as Rafik emphasizes. "We're just using LEDs for heating, so we avoid a lot of the energy issues other vertical farms face."
The outside of the cave, a former stone mining complex is seen at the front end
While the energy cost is minimal now, they've secured a long-term fixed energy price with the cave owner, Franzefoss, which helps mitigate rising costs expected in 2025. However, humidity has been more challenging, with the team relying on dehumidifiers and fans to control moisture levels. "Circulation is tricky in a big space like this, yet soon we're installing fans with filters so we can maintain a more optimal environment."
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Drawn by the pink light, visitors are led to the farm
Tailoring produce supply
The farm supplies directly to restaurants in Oslo and surrounding areas like Bærum, allowing Rafik to face off large distributors and keep prices competitive. By removing the distributor part of the chain, we can compete. Per case mostly, chefs will find a variety of microgreens, baby leaves, and herbs. Delivered weekly, the products are often found fresher than imported products, as co-founder Payman explains. "Chefs see a notable difference in our quality as it can be stored for much longer."
Gruvegrønt's direct-to-restaurant model enables one to tailor orders specifically to each kitchen's requirements. Chefs select products from a curated list, to which the team 'grows to order'. "This way, we only produce what they truly need," Peyman adds. "It minimizes waste and ensures each product fits perfectly into chefs' menus. Product size can also be customized based on the restaurants' preferences. It's not a rare occasion for us to grow larger herbs and microgreens as that's regularly favored by fine dining restaurants," he affirms.
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Swapping crops: A flexible system
"There's a big demand for mushrooms in Oslo's high-end market," Rafik says. Therefore, Gruvegrønt is exploring the premium mushroom market to fill the need for meat and fish alternatives. Favored varieties are Lion's Mane, Shiitake, Enoki, and Pink Oyster mushrooms. Thus far, equipment and strains have been sourced and the team is ready for its trial phase to produce the first batches.
The modular Growth Stations, supplied by Norwegian startup, Avisomo, offer flexibility to adapt to multiple crops, from microgreens to leafy greens for instance, by alternating the hardware inside the system. "The Growth Station is unique in the way that it combines modularity, flexibility, automation, and logistics based on Avisomo's digital plant recipes. The automation concept is quite simple," says Endre Harnes, CCO at Avisomo. "We try to utilize existing standards as much as possible, reducing costs, with the potential to make vertical farming a more viable proposition."
Sour flower buds are sold to an Oslo cocktail bar, adding it as a specialty to its offerings. Clients love it, as the sour flower bud makes tongues go numb. We can confirm it does indeed have that effect.
Aligning production with restaurants
Despite their current farm size, Peyman highlights "When restaurants are busy, so are we." Pointing out that operations align closely with the seasonal cycles of restaurants, Gruvegrønt is preparing for a busy holiday season for instance. These periods bring increased demand for end-of-November- and December holiday events, so production scales up to meet the need. "In slower periods, like the autumn break, production scales down accordingly."
"Through our electric vehicle, all deliveries are managed in-house, to ensure freshness, and complete control over the logistics process. We can guarantee quality, and freshness and avoid delays by handling our own deliveries," Peyman points out. Despite demand growing steadily, Gruvegrønt faces competition from larger distributors like Koppert. "Koppert is big, and they set the standard, but fortunately, more chefs want fresher, local choices. We are pleased to offer an alternative to the standard distributor model," the founders share proudly.
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The meeting office outside the cave
Market challenges
When asked about the possibility of Gruvegrønt entering the retail market, Rafik emphasizes that it remains a future project. "It would very likely require changes in the scale, packaging, and delivery to meet customer and consumer expectations," he notes. While herbs and greens are currently the main focus, the founders are considering ways to reach supermarket shelves. "We're thinking about how to move into different packaging formats if we expand to supermarkets."
In Norway, funding opportunities for small-scale agriculture can be limited. Yet, fortunately, the firm secured some grants to support its mushroom initiatives.
For more information:
Gruvegrønt AS
Rafik Halabi, co-founder
[email protected]
Peyman Karim Afshar, co-founder
[email protected]
+47 4572 0019
www.franzefoss.no/gruvegront
Avisomo
Endre Harnes, Chief commercial officer
[email protected]
https://avisomo.com