Behind the financial technicality of these deals lies a race for speed. The competition is getting organised against this company, which relies on technology to supply fresh vegetables grown indoors to certain shops such as Publix, Kroger and Walmart, in regions where it has farms in the US (Orlando, Atlanta and Houston). It will open in Denver and Seattle this year, in St. Paul, Minnesota, in Singapore in the second quarter of 2022, and in new locations in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

But its main customer, Walmart, has announced it is investing in competitor Plenty, which is capable of supplying all the brand’s shops by the end of the year.

Vertical farms are state-of-the-art, as they are fully automated, supported by real-time data analysis that allows humans to control and improve production to reduce fertilisers, eliminate pesticides and reduce washing operations for field-harvested vegetables to zero.

The market for home-grown vegetables represents barely 1% of the world market. But it solves some logistical problems and brings production closer together, a very important argument for freshness and for chains such as Aldi or Lidl, which are looking for the best quality at the best price, say the managers of the American company.

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This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.