Kroptek announced that they have joined forces with Wesh Grow, an urban farming business based in Paris and Marseille. The newest member of a network that spans the Atlantic from New Brunswick to Paris, Wesh Grow distributes gourmet produce to customers and upscale restaurants while reducing food miles and fostering local economies.
Together, they will work to advance their shared goal of creating urban farms that can locally supply consumers and restaurants with a range of delicious food.
Wesh Grow was initially introduced as a component of Paris’ strategy to allow farmers access to vacant brownfield sites, such as parking lots, in order to raise the proportion of locally produced food from 25% to 50% by 2030. Today, they use rooftops and indoor farms to cultivate over 100 varieties of microgreens, rare herbs, and edible flowers without the use of chemicals or pesticides.
Over 500 restaurants in the Paris area serve its nutrient-dense, hyper-local foods, including the Michelin-starred Granite, the Le Jules Verne on the second story of the Eiffel Tower, and opulent hotels like Le Meurice.
Wesh Grow had to create its growing techniques with an emphasis on flavors that could surpass the standards of well-known chefs and be offered at their upscale restaurants due to its clients’ exacting needs. Wesh Grow was able to discover the ideal growth conditions for its gourmet product because to Kroptek’s expertise in LED technology and experience working on a variety of different Controlled Environment Agriculture projects.
Now as Wesh Grow looks to expand, it has opened up the unique opportunity to combine efforts with Kroptek’s La Boite a Champignons (LBAC), France’s leading urban mushroom farm, to realize both companies’ ambition of playing a key role in Paris’ effort to be the global capital of local urban agriculture and sustainable food production.
By combining their diverse backgrounds and skills, Kroptek and Wesh Grow will carry out their joint objectives with the intention of adopting scalable sustainable food production techniques to grow high-quality produce throughout many cities. While Wesh Grow specializes in urban farming operations and gourmet food cultivation, Kroptek will offer horticulture solutions and strategic industry knowledge.
In order to meet the growing client demand and further broaden its product offerings, Wesh Grow will now double the size of its current business. This cooperation is crucial because it allows it to incorporate Kroptek’s expertise in mushrooms into its portfolio and ultimately take advantage of Kroptek’s rapidly expanding commercial franchise with major food wholesalers.
Similarly, the move further marks Kroptek’s long-term ambition of developing a network of sustainable farms across the globe. A network that facilitates collaboration between farms, allowing best-practice, and know-how to be shared without the impediment of competition.
Image provided by Kroptek
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