At the Greeneration farm in Jebel Ali, thousands of edible flowers and microgreens are harvested daily and delivered to over 100 high-end and Michelin-starred restaurants in the UAE. Between 3 am and 6 am every day, the produce is harvested and packed as delivery trucks arrive by 7 am to transport them to their destinations.
Founded by investment banker turned farmer Roman Ulyanov, the facility began operations in February 2024 and is currently expanding its offerings due to the interest it has seen.
"We deliver between 600 and 800 boxes with 20 flowers daily to restaurants in Dubai and Abu Dhabi," he said. "We don't use pesticides, and the produce is as fresh as it gets. We introduced 25 crops to the UAE that were not available before. Some were imported, but many flowers and leaves were too delicate to be transported. We have managed to cut down the cost and carbon emissions of importing such high-quality ingredients for restaurants in the country."
During Khaleej Times' tour inside the facility, he explained that it took him a year to bring his vision to fruition. "We customized everything from the size of the stands to the irrigation methods," he said. "We wanted to ensure we were not a cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all vertical farm. We adjusted the height and volume of the rooms to ensure that the electricity usage was reduced."
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