Editor’s note: BEYOND Expo 2023, which will be held in Macao from May 10 to 12, will focus on three key areas: BEYOND Sustainability, BEYOND Healthcare, and BEYOND ConsumerTech.
Singapore-based agritech firm Archisen aims to produce up to 300 tons of Asian greens per annum with its automated indoor farm in the city-state while exploring opportunities to build smart farms abroad, its Co-Founder said.
“We are in the process of building a fully automated indoor farm in Singapore that is able to produce up to 300 tons of Asian greens per annum and it will be completed this year. This will triple our production output while allowing us to offer locally-grown Asian greens, which are our local staples to Singaporeans,” Archisen Co-Founder Sven Yeo told TechNode Global in an interview.
“We are expanding our current farm to 10,000 sq ft. We are also in talks with various partners to look into building more farms abroad,” he said.
Besides its home-base Singapore, Archisen, which currently produced lettuces, rainbow chard, sorrel, mustard and ice plant, is looking to expand to cities in Asia Pacific and the Middle East.
“We also have another major project in partnership with a multinational corporation that will be launched this year, which will be very exciting as it is an opportunity for us to showcase our technology in terms of crop science and robotics as it will be open to the general public,” he added.
Archisen designs, builds, and operates solutions to grow ultra-fresh, ultra-local produce in cities. Founded by Yeo and Vincent Wei, Archisen said it operates one of the highest-yielding indoor farms in Singapore. Using Controlled-Environment Agriculture (CEA), the company said it is able to control every aspect of the climate from temperature, humidity, light intensity to composition of air. Thus, it can configure the most conducive environments to bring out the natural, rich flavors of its plants and to retain their nutritional values. Its products are 100 percent local with no pesticides, preservatives or genetic modification, making them fresher, safer, and better than imported alternatives.
The company said it is the first and only company in Singapore that provides a comprehensive farm management solution for its partners through its turn-key urban farm solution, Cropdom. Cropdom is powered by its proprietary operating system, Croptron, leveraging sensors, Internet-of-things technology and data analytics to track, analyze, and improve farm management processes.
By monitoring important farm parameters in real-time, the company can collect data to build a system of dynamic automation, thus increasing efficiency. In just a short span of six years, Archisen’s 7,000 sq ft farm has grown to account for the production of about 1 percent of leafy vegetables grown locally by producing up to 100 tonnes of vegetables a year.
With the use of technology, the company said it achieves up to 100 times the yield of traditional farms from their indoor farms, as well as consuming 95 percent less water and 85 percent less fertilizers.
As a smart city, Singapore is also leveraging technology to increase locally produced food, as reflected in the 2030 Green Plan’s emphasis on sustainable development through the fusion of agriculture and technology.
Archisen, which claimed itself a pioneer in vertical farming, aims to meet 30 percent of this goal, demonstrating Singapore’s commitment to ensuring a sustainable and self-sufficient food supply for the future.
Yeo said Archisen’s investors range from angels, family offices, venture funds to listed companies.
In the interview, he also shared its strategy and plans which include launching its own craft beer and ice cream, among others.
Below are the edited excerpts:
What are your plans for 2023? What’s your goal/target for the year?
We are in the process of building a fully automated indoor farm in Singapore that is able to produce up to 300 tonnes of Asian greens per annum and it will be completed this year. This will triple our production output while allowing us to offer locally-grown Asian greens, which are our local staples to Singaporeans. We also have another major project in partnership with an multinational corporations that will be launched this year, which will be very exciting as it is an opportunity for us to showcase our technology in terms of crop science and robotics as it will be open to the general public.
Your company’s current 7,000 sqft farm has grown to account for the production of about 1 percent of leafy vegetables grown locally by producing up to 100 tonnes of vegetables a year.
– How much you’d wish your company will produce?
This year our total capacity will quadruple and we hope to be able to hit up to 10 percent in the next few years.
– Any mid-term or long term goal in other aspects?
We want to build the team even further by adding more expertise in various domains to accelerate our development, to provide fruits or even medicinal herbs and products in the long term.
– Any plan to expand the size or number of farms you own?
Yes, we are expanding our current farm to 10,000 sq ft and as mentioned earlier, we are already in the process of building another farm in Singapore. We are also in talks with various partners to look into building more farms abroad.
Besides Singapore, are you planning to expand to other cities? Any timeline?
Yes, we are looking at cities in Asia Pacific and the Middle East, anytime from next year onwards.
Among the products you have, which one is producing the most revenue?
Our salad products are the volume products that are driving our revenue growth.
Moving forward, is there any particular product the company will promote more or prioritize?
Yes, we pride ourselves in our Ice Plant which is grown in Himalayan pink salt, unlike other competitor products that tend to be bland, we are able to reproduce the natural savory flavor.
Also, our Mustard is also another popular product that has an intense wasabi-like kick, people love to have it with meat like K-BBQ or sashimi. There are more of such products in our pipeline but the overall goal is for us to surprise and delight our customers by introducing more of such innovative products. We are also preparing to launch our very own craft beer and ice cream products through our partners.
What’s your strategy and targeted market for Cropdom, Just Harvest and JustProduce?
The strategy for Cropdom involves leveraging on our state-of-the-art technology to bring down the cost of production of high-tech farming to be as competitive as we can, enabling not merely a profitable farming business but an investible one.
Just Harvest is all about bringing the crops as close to the end user as possible so that the vegetables can be freshly harvested when needed, rather than preharvested and packed in advance.
Just Produce is all about offering a premium selection of fresh, flavourful produce, hand-picked and carefully selected to ensure the highest quality.
How soon would you need to raise funds? how much? In which funding stage?
We are in the process of preparing for our next [funding] round, the details will be disclosed in due time.
What are the competitive advantages of your company’s vegetables against the others?
We are price-competitive, while offering high-quality products with great flavors and nutritional profile, combined with good shelf life.
What lies behind your personal belief and conviction in producing quality local produce?
It’s a well-known fact that Singaporeans don’t consume enough vegetables and part of the issue has to do with the limited choices available, plus they are often also not value for money.
As someone that is constantly fascinated by what we can achieve with technology, I genuinely feel we can do a lot better. This belief has given rise to the birth of our Just Produce brand and our desire to provide quality produce that is accessible to all, regardless of age, gender and income.
How does Archisen leverage technology to produce vegetables of the highest quality?
Our technology does not merely involve the use of hydroponics, but is categorized as Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). The simple explanation is the ability to control everything from the quality of air, amount of light and nutrients to be delivered to the plants, so that their yield and taste can be optimized instead of leaving it to Mother Nature that we know can be fickle at times due to climate change.
Similar to cooking, our method of growing crops involves developing crop recipes, which spells out the key parameters of growing each crop and their ranges, so that it is consistently reproducible no matter where we are in the world.
What’s your vision for Archisen as Singapore charts towards its 2030 Green Plan?
We have grown quite a lot as a company in recent years but the journey is still far from over. We are expanding our crop portfolio and our farming footprint to provide great quantity and variety to our customers, in our efforts to build food resiliency in Singapore and beyond.