Brief: Infarm plots major Canada expansion with strengthened Sobeys partnership

• German vertical ag startup Infarm will substantially expand its presence in Canada in an expanded collaboration with existing retail partner Sobeys.
• As part of the deal, Infarm said it will construct new ‘Growing Centers’ — facilities incorporating a distribution hub with multiple 25 square-meter modules that can produce the equivalent of 10,000 square meters of farmland — in the cities of Calgary, Halifax, Hamilton, and Winnipeg.
• “We’re delighted with what has been an extremely positive and successful partnership with the Sobeys family of retailers,” Infarm co-founder and CEO Erez Galonska said in a statement. “This expansion deal represents one of the largest rollouts of any vertical farming company in North America to date as we aim to offer local, high-quality produce to people everywhere.”

Why it matters:

Infarm said the expansion will up its total Canadian growing space to over 12,000 square meters, allowing it to supply more than 1,000 Sobeys’ stores across all 10 of the country’s provinces by 2023.

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The startup added that it will progressively offer a more extensive range of produce to Canadian consumers over the next five years, going beyond herbs and leafy greens to offer bell and chilli peppers, mushrooms, strawberries, tomatoes, “and even potted plants.”