Indoor farming technology from Körber promises sustainable protein source

Veganz Group has announced that it has signed a contract with Körber Technologies for the design, manufacture and distribution of the patented OrbiFarm technology for the indoor cultivation of staple foods. This means that the technologies developed and tested with the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME over the past few years will be brought to an industrial-scale production plant ready for series production.

With the pioneering OrbiFarm technology, proteins were successfully cultivated in indoor farming for the first time. The results from the OrbiFarm cultivation trials with pea plants are so promising in terms of yield, quality, reproducibility, safety and cost-effectiveness that they can now be transferred to industrial-scale plants. The construction of a first industrial-scale prototype has already been completed. Construction is planned at the site of the Fraunhofer Institute IME in Aachen. The institute is providing a suitable building for this purpose.

Pea plants cultivated in the OrbiFarm have double the fruit yield compared to conventional cultivation, but can also be harvested six times a year. The entire biomass, i.e. fruit, plant and root, can be used for further processing into protein raw materials for the industry, which drastically increases the yield and efficiency once again. This results in an economic efficiency that allows cultivation in indoor farming with the advantages of controlled environmental conditions.

‘Climate change and uncontrollable environmental influences are presenting us with increasing global challenges in the cultivation of staple foods," said Jan Bredack, Founder & CEO of Veganz Group. "With OrbiFarm, we have created an economically viable solution for food security. It can be used anywhere in the world, particularly in regions where agriculture is not possible today due to climatic conditions, and will ensure secure cultivation and a stable, predictable supply of plant proteins. The long-term cooperation agreement signed today with Körber Technologies, which specializes in such large-scale projects and operates worldwide, brings the implementation of our technology developed with the Fraunhofer Institute IME within reach."

"We are delighted to be able to take this important step in the production of pea protein together with Veganz," added Dr Jan-Gerd Frerichs, Head of Future Farming at Körber Technologies. "With our decades of expertise in machinery and plant engineering, Körber is making a decisive contribution to ensuring that OrbiFarm® technology for the cultivation of staple foods can be implemented on an industrial scale anywhere in the world."