Much remains to be written about the future of vertical farming. In many ways, the technology offers hope amid growing concerns about food safety, an aging population, and potential environmental collapse. It’s also an intensely difficult row to dig, so to speak. The first companies in the space will be the ones that focus on bringing the economics of the unit down (hopefully) to a point where the technology makes sense from a price perspective.
But sometimes getting to a party early means you’re one of the first to leave. Last January, we cover what appeared to be a major next step for Upward Farms, as the company announced plans to open a 250,000-square-foot farm in northeastern Pennsylvania earlier this year. The Brooklyn-based firm recently announcedhowever, they have closed shop.
“We found that vertical farming is almost infinitely complex – as we tackled challenges, new ones emerged,” founders Jason Green, Ben Silverman and Matt La Rosa said in an open letter. “Our team met these challenges head-on, humbly asking ourselves, ‘If not me, who? And if not now, when?’ ”
Even in a thriving market, building these things is exceedingly difficult. After three years of financial and other challenges, one imagines it becomes even more difficult to convince potential backers to excel on what is ultimately a long track.
The startup is winding down its decade-long project, but the founders are pointing to a potential silver lining. “While Upward Farms closes its doors,” they note, “a small portion of our team will continue to work to unleash the magic of the microbiome. In the coming months, we will have more to share.”
There are still plenty of big names in the space, including the Bowery and AeroFarms. It probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the pack thins out a bit, until the path to success becomes clearer. In the meantime, perhaps the Upward team has valuable innovations that they can share with a potential industry partner.
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