They once were only in Singapore. Then we saw one of them "flourish", the largest in Europe, in Denmark. And in the USA, in Middle East, everywhere. The growth of vertical farms is on the rise around the world, with an increasing number of companies and start-ups investing in this technology to meet the growing demand for fresh and sustainable food in the global kitchen. Even Italy today is doing its part, as always (it's about food) as the 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 (to be held from 28 to 30 January) winks at the future. And it does so with a captivating title, of course, but also with a lot of substance. "The revolution is served," reads the payoff. What revolution are we talking about?
There's not much to say about haute cuisine: the Italian one 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 kitchen of those who buy their products (salads of different types and vegetable pesto, available in the supermarket) and today they extend the discourse to large catering.
To show chefs the perspective of the coming years too, Planet Farms has also inaugurated a vertical farm in Brusaporto, in the province of Bergamo. There, inside a park, there is the plant pertaining to "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, as in a shop window, at the plants they 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, neither chemistry nor 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. The technology of vertical farms does not "run the catwalk": it decisively enters a sector like this and already shows its transformative capacity.
