Key Takeaways
- The Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology (WGCIT) selected Sami Robotics for its first WGCIT-sponsored residency slot at Reservoir Farms.
- Sami Robotics is developing a multifunctional robotic platform for field tasks, with an initial focus on harvesting.
- The residency will let Sami Robotics test and refine its technology alongside growers at Reservoir Farms' Salinas location.
- Reservoir Farms provides startups with shared R&D space, commercially grown field acreage, equipment from partners like John Deere, and direct grower feedback.
- Western Growers announced in May that it would provide Reservoir Farms $1.5 million in partnership funding over three years.
Sami Robotics Wins First WGCIT-Sponsored Residency at Reservoir Farms
The Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology (WGCIT) has selected Sami Robotics, a startup developing a multifunctional robotic platform for a range of field tasks, to receive its first WGCIT-sponsored residency slot at Reservoir Farms. The startup's initial focus will be on harvesting. The residency will let Sami Robotics refine and test its technology alongside growers in real-world conditions at Reservoir's Salinas, California location.
“Harvesting has long been the most challenging segment of mechanization for growers,” said Walt Duflock, SVP, Innovation at Western Growers. “We are confident that Pascal and Éric and their team at Sami Robotics will provide solutions that work, and there is no better place for them to field test their technology than at Reservoir Farms.”
Why Harvesting Is Sami Robotics' Initial Focus
Sami Robotics co-founders Pascal Labrecque and Éric Lapalme said the residency gives the company a chance to validate its technology under real growing conditions rather than in a controlled setting.
“We are honored to be the first company selected for this meaningful sponsorship,” said Pascal Labrecque, CEO and Co-Founder of Sami Robotics. “This support from WGCIT is a strong endorsement of our team's dedication and of the importance of our mission to help growers address the future of agricultural labor through robotics.”
“Building agricultural robots is one thing; proving they can deliver value in real field conditions is another,” said Éric Lapalme, CPO and Co-Founder of Sami Robotics. “Reservoir Farms offers an exceptional environment to test, refine and improve our platform alongside growers. The feedback we receive during this residency will be instrumental in making our technology more capable, reliable and impactful.”
Inside Reservoir Farms' Startup Support Model
Reservoir Farms is designed to help startups reach a viable product in less time and with less capital by providing shared R&D space, shared commercially grown field acreage, shared equipment from partners such as John Deere, and direct feedback from growers on the products being developed.
Western Growers' Broader Investment in Reservoir Farms
In May, Western Growers announced it would provide Reservoir Farms with $1.5 million in partnership funding over the next three years.
“Western Growers helped us turn Reservoir Farms into more than just a test field — rather the Olympic Village of agtech,” said Danny Bernstein, CEO of Reservoir Farms. “Their commitment to sponsoring residencies signals to founders that if you're serious about solving real problems, there's an ecosystem here ready to back you — giving high potential teams the chance to train in real grower conditions, iterate quickly, and bring technologies to market that actually work for growers.”
