Amazon Whole Foods pilots fully automated vertical farming with Auto Store and One Point One

Whole Foods is trialling a new form of urban farming. A fully automated vertical farm – developed by Norwegian warehouse automation specialist Auto Store and agricultural technology company One Point One – is supplying fresh herbs and leafy vegetables to selected stores of the Amazon grocery banner in Phoenix, Arizona.

The facility, called ‘Opollo Farm’, is placed in a warehouse in the Arizona desert. It requires up to 95 per cent less water than conventional cultivation methods and works completely without pesticides. Instead of traditional farmland, the plants are grown on a grid of cubic moveable storage devices from Auto Store.

Autonomous vehicles move the plants through a dense grid of storage boxes, continuously adjusting their positions and thus creating ideal growing conditions. The system produces ready-to-harvest vegetables in just 15 days, around twice as fast as in traditional agriculture.

Automation optimises fresh produce logistics

Thanks to its compact, modular design, the farm can be set up directly near cities or in existing logistics centres. This significantly shortens transport routes, allowing grocery stores to supply their customers with fresh produce faster and in a climate-friendly way.

“Opollo Farm shows what’s possible when proven automation meets global challenges like food supply resilience and sustainability,” said Parth Joshi, Chief Product Officer at Auto Store and declared that the technology was proving its potential far beyond traditional warehouse operations.

Closed environment protects the plants

In the closed environment of the farm, the plants are automatically sown, watered and optimally cared for in climatic terms. Robotic technology moves the plant trays and provides sufficient watering. Software is monitoring every stage of growth and adapts the care of the plants accordingly.

The closed system protects the plants from pests and extreme weather conditions and makes the use of chemicals superfluous. Chris Petroulakis, Category Merchant for Produce at Whole Foods, explains: “This advanced technology can revolutionise local agriculture, helping to deliver high-quality, locally grown produce right to our stores faster and fresher than ever before.”

The project is set to grow further

The Opollo Farm is currently still a pilot project, but Auto Store and One Point One wish to establish the system on a large scale in urban regions and integrate other types of vegetables. One Point One CEO Sam Bertram is convinced that the solution which combines space-saving robotics with efficient plant production will be ideal for cities where land and water are scarce.