Ismea invests six million euros in Kilometro Verde, a vertical farming start-up.
The plant, currently under construction, will be the largest vertical farm in Europe, designed for the cultivation of ready-to-eat salads and will bring four new references with distinctive characteristics to consumer tables.
The operation was completed in Manerbio (Brescia) with the subscription by Ismea of a capital increase and the disbursement of a convertible bond loan, for the duration of 8 years, against an investment project of 19 million of Euro.
"The vertical cultivation system of Kilometro Verde is totally automated and represents one of the most innovative urban agriculture systems available - explains a note - allowing to cultivate without soil consumption, in a controlled environment, guaranteeing the absence of pesticides and the reduction of water consumption by 95%.Production is continuous for 365 days a year regardless of climatic or seasonal variations, with an interval of a few minutes between cutting and packaging.The location of the plant near urban centers makes production virtually at zero kilometer, reducing the impact of transport".
"We are very satisfied with this operation - said Giuseppe Battagliola,
Man hasn't respected nature for a long time and I think the time has come to use science to return to the values that the earth has taught us" "With Ismea Investe - said Fabio Rolfi, member of the board of directors of the 'Institute of Services for the Agricultural and Food Market - we support the development projects of companies active in the agricultural and agri-food sector, stimulating their capitalisation, also as an alternative to debt instruments".