They once were only in Singapore. Then we saw one "bloom", the largest in Europe, in Denmark. And in the USA, in Middle East, everywhere. The growth of vertical farms is on the rise across the world, with an increasing number of businesses and start-ups investing in this technology to meet the growing demand for fresh, sustainable food in global cuisines. Italy also plays its part today, as always (it's about food) as an undisputed Queen.
Vertical farms and high gastronomic culture: a perfect combination in Italy
Identity Milan 2023 it is the most important signature cuisine congress in our country. Almost a "sanctuary" for those who want to know and show the evolution of Italian gastronomic excellence. This year the event (which will be held from 28 to 30 January) winks at the future. And it does so with a catchy title, of course, but also with a lot of substance. “The revolution is served,” reads the payoff. What revolution are we talking about?
There is little to say about haute cuisine: Italian cuisine is first in the world for ingredients and tradition. A cuisine capable of incorporating millenary cultural influences from all over the world thanks to the extraordinary talent of its chefs. And about the revolution? Well, the next step is the one that combines the goodness of raw materials with sustainability: and this is where vertical farms come into play.
The vertical farm in the chef's kitchen
Among the participants in Identità Milano 2023 there is a company that, I have an idea, will be talked about a lot in the coming years. Is called Planet Farms, was founded in 2018 by Luca Travaglini e Daniel Benatoff and today it manages three production sites including one of the largest and most advanced vertical farms in the world, just outside Milan. They have already "set foot" in the kitchens of those who buy their products (different types of salads and vegetable pesto, present in the supermarket) and today they extend the discussion to large-scale catering.
To also show the prospect of the coming years to chefs, Planet Farms has inaugurated a vertical farm also in Brusaporto, in the province of Bergamo. There, inside a park, there is the relevant facility of "Da VIttorio", a restaurant that has three Michelin stars in its Palmares.
A vegetable garden in every restaurant?
Consider a restaurant where people can look, like in a shop window, at the plants they will find on the table, and watch them grow. Plants that do not consume hectares of land, do not waste water, and "travel" from sowing to the plate (passing through the kitchen) without compromises, chemicals or residues.
The goal of “green” self-sufficiency is not impossible: vertical farms are modular structures that could find a place in the kitchen of every hotel and restaurant, bringing food without depriving the earth of its resources. This participation has a strong strategic value, in my opinion. Vertical farm technology is not a "catwalk": it enters decisively into a sector like this and already shows its transformative capacity.
