Singapore hydroponics startup Artisan Green to build second farm, boost production by end-2025
The indoor farm is partnering Siemens to pioneer a farm management system that increases crop yields while consuming less energy and water
The startup’s first farm in Kallang is about 300 square metres (sq m) in size, and Poh said the new farm will have a much larger production area of 5,500 sq m. Poh said the company intends to tender for a plot of land in December, which he is “very confident” they will be able to get.
“We’ve been working on this for a very long time. We know that the technologies that we’ve developed are very suitable for scalability,” he said in an interview on the sidelines of the Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific conference held at the Singapore Expo.
Poh added: “If we get the tender, which we will, we’ll start building (in the) second quarter of next year. That will take about 12 to 15 months, so I expect us to ramp up production by the end of 2025.”
Artisan Green harnesses vertical farming technology to produce crops throughout the year. The company supplies fresh produce to 41 supermarkets in Singapore, as well as online platforms such as RedMart and GrabFood.
Currently, about 90 per cent of its sales go to retail or physical brick-and-mortar stores, while online channels make up the remainder, said Poh.
Artisan Green also intends to venture into the food service segment with its microgreens, which are typically used in salads or as garnish.
“By the time we’ve built the bigger farm, we will be able to bring the cost down so much that we can start supplying our products in bulk to restaurants and hotels,” said Poh.
Tie-up with Siemens
On Wednesday, Artisan Green signed an agreement to partner German tech conglomerate Siemens to pioneer what it calls a “highly scalable integrated farm management system”.
The partnership will leverage automation and digitalisation, and have a focus on plant science to advance sustainable farming operations at Artisan Green’s farm.
This will see Artisan Green’s farming operations have a boost in crop quality and yield, all while leaving a reduced carbon footprint and consuming less water and energy.
“That’s why we need new ways of smart farming that integrate automation and digitalisation, so as to produce more with less, and to produce locally,” she said.
“SMEs are the backbone of the economy. This is definitely a group that we really want to support and transform together.”
The newly integrated farming operations are expected to produce 25 tonnes of greens each month, up from one tonne currently. The greater capacity can generate a monthly supply of over 134,000 meals with leafy green vegetables.
Artisan Green and Siemens said their joint project falls in line with Singapore’s “30 by 30” food security goal to produce 30 per cent of the country’s nutritional needs by 2030.
Poh described the partnership with Siemens as pivotal in advancing the local vertical farming industry.
“This will allow us to achieve greater production volumes at a lower operating cost; enabling us to provide fresh, high quality local produce at affordable prices for Singaporeans,” he said.
Artisan Green’s most popular product is baby spinach. The leafy green that is sold in supermarkets is typically imported from the US, Europe or Australia because it grows in temperate climates and cannot be grown outdoors in Singapore, said Poh.
But when grown indoors, no pesticides are needed and their baby spinach can last longer too, he added.
“We fully intend to set a new benchmark for hydroponics operations and hi-tech agriculture in Singapore and the world,” he said.