To tackle the needs of a growing population and Sarawak's rising reliance on imports, Airgro — founded by Kenneth Chai, Nerea Arnal and Amirrasdan Ibrahim — wants to improve food production through resource efficiency, waste reduction and cost optimisation.
"Our company was started in 2020 during the Covid lockdown. As Sarawak is on an island, we were out of imported vegetables, both from Peninsular Malaysia and globally," says Chai, the company's CEO.
Airgro's incubators mimic the climates of places where commonly imported vegetables grow by precisely controlling temperature and humidity, enabling the growth of non-native plants such as herbs, leafy greens and berries, among others.
The company's products have two uses: as a tabletop appliance for home consumers, as well as an indoor integrated farm on a larger business scale, Chai explains. The company also provides consultation, construction, operations and maintenance for these indoor farms.
"People sometimes ask us if [our produce] is plastic because of how clean they look … but the truth is, they're exposed to zero pollution, so they're just really clean," says Chai.
Their operations, albeit small, have been successful. In a 120 sq ft area, it has grown herbs, pink lettuce, swiss chards and heirloom tomatoes for a grocer in Kuching, which usually imports its produce and stores them in an air-conditioned refrigerator at a one-in-five spoilage rate.
"Airgro's next door system ensures minimal transport and storage cost as yield is designed to match demand and consumption," says Chai. He explains that the company's efforts have improved wastage rates to one in 65, reducing food imports to 40% and cutting transport carbon emissions by 100%.
Source: theedgemalaysia.com