It aims to develop seeds specifically designed for use in vertical indoor farm environments as well as other controlled environment agriculture (CEA) farming methods.
Kalera , one of the fastest-growing U.S. vertical farming companies in the world and a leader in plant science for producing high-quality produce in controlled environments, announced the acquisition of Vindara Inc., the first company to develop seeds specifically designed for use in vertical indoor farm environments as well as other controlled environment agriculture (CEA) farming methods.
Vindara, based in Research Triangle, NC, uses genomics, machine learning, and computational biology along with traditional breeding methods to meet the market need for produce that is non-GMO, nutritious, high-yielding, and delicious. Vindara will be a fully owned subsidiary of Kalera and will operate out of Kalera’s headquarters in Orlando, Florida where Dr. Jade Stinson will continue in her existing role as Co-Founder and President. Together, the combined company will:
- Significantly increase the output from Kalera’s current and future facilities by reducing grow cycle and providing higher yields
- Lower costs of goods sold by reducing costs of seed and energy efficiency/automation
- Significantly improve Kalera’s future EBITDA
- Be better positioned to offer differentiated products and have improved ability to optimize color, texture, flavor, firmness and nutrient profile
- Accelerate and expand Vindara’s seed research and development programs focused on the indoor farming sectors to support overall CEA market share growth.
- Develop a strong product pipeline beyond leafy greens to include high yield basil, high yield spinach and high yield strawberries.
“Kalera has always focused on being the most technologically advanced player in the vertical farming industry. With the addition of Vindara’s data-driven methodology, we will be the first vertical farming company with the ability to develop its own plant varieties bred specifically for indoor farming conditions. Our acquisition of Vindara complements our overall science-driven and innovation-leading value proposition. This investment represents an important strategic opportunity to increase revenue options to Kalera while reducing its cost of materials and reducing our cycle times given Vindara’s competitive advantages,” said Daniel Malechuk, CEO of Kalera.
