"In recent years, we've dedicated significant effort to developing advanced technological equipment tailored for hydroponic farming. Our focus has been on creating solutions that not only meet the needs of farms but also enhance their efficiency and productivity. It's been an exciting journey of innovation and improvement in this growing field." says Cem Sezer, co-founder of Farmicca, a Turkish company navigating the growing field of vertical farming. "It's about making the systems work for growers and making their business viable."
It is also a company that establishes hydroponic farming facilities like Skycrops, from start to finish using its own technology.
Technology as a result of practical farming
Farmicca Agriculture Technologies was founded in 2020 after 6 years of intense R&D in its greenhouse to develop technologies, hardware, software, and components for the CEA industry. Under Farmitech, they deliver various types of hardware, but one of their most important innovations is Farmisense™, a system that controls HVACD, lighting, temperature, and humidity across multiple layers of a farm.
"Unlike many systems that provide uniform conditions across an entire growing area, Farmisense™ allows for precise adjustments," explains co-founder Cihan Yilmaz. "Other systems treat a greenhouse-like one big unit. With Farmisense™, we can manage each layer individually, which means better results and energy optimization"
Their technology includes hardware designed and manufactured in-house. "While there are plenty of ready-to-use solutions available in the market, we decided to take a different approach. We chose to develop our own solutions from the ground up, aiming to achieve the best possible outcomes by leveraging every capability that modern technology has to offer. This decision allows us to push boundaries and ensure our systems are perfectly tailored to meet our goals." says Cihan.
He gives an example: "The quality of growth lights largely depends on the performance of the LED cells themselves. However, how you control and drive your horticultural lighting hardware plays an equally critical role. To truly optimize performance and maximize efficiency, we believe the best approach is to design and build our own solutions, rather than relying on off-the-shelf products."
Skycrops: Innovation in action
Farmicca has built its expertise not only through consulting but also by developing practical knowledge at Skycrops, its vertical farming facility. Located on a 590-square-meter site, Skycrops grows over 150,000 leafy greens per month. The farm also includes a germination room with 4 Farmicca Germinator™ units capable of producing 900,000 seedlings monthly, ensuring continuous production.
The company sells its greens in MIGROS supermarkets in Turkiye. Skycrops specializes in "living food, vegetables packaged with their roots intact and a small nutrient solution. This approach extends shelf life by weeks and allows customers to harvest fresh leaves at home in their kitchen.
Can vertical farming compete?
One of the key challenges for vertical farming is cost. While it offers environmental advantages, such as using less water and nutrients, it is often seen as more expensive than traditional farming. Farmicca has already achieved the goal of making it compete with traditional farming by optimizing its systems to reduce operational costs.
"We've made many improvements to the point where we the vertical farms sell at the same price as conventionally grown vegetables," says Sezer. "And we still make a profit."
Expanding horizons: the Farmicca campus
Farmicca is now preparing for its next stage. A larger 2,000-square-meter Farmicca Campus is in the works, which will include new research labs and space for training programs in collaboration with local universities. The company also made the initial contracts in progress with many firms in Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia aiming to bring its systems to farms outside Turkiye.
By focusing on practical solutions rather than grand promises, Farmicca is showing how vertical farming can move from niche innovation to a viable part of the agricultural industry.
For more information:
Farmicca
Cihan Yilmaz, Co-founder and CTO
[email protected]
www.farmicca.com