Light
Plants grow under LED light, powered only by green electricity.
In an 1876 cotton mill on the Oglio, we grow vertically and out of soil. Every condition is under control, with no pesticides.
The river hasn’t changed.
In 1876 two Swiss entrepreneurs, Gualtiero Schmid and Giovanni Niggeler, left Switzerland: in cotton they could no longer stand up to English competition. In Italy they found skilled workers and rivers full of power, the power textile machines need. They chose Capriolo, on the Oglio. That is where the cotton mill was born. Today, within the same walls, we grow.
Old walls, new harvests.
Urban regeneration: a workplace of the past comes back to life. Where the cotton machines once turned, salads, herbs and strawberries now grow.
Water
Out of soil, in a closed loop: 95% less than conventional farming.
Climate
We control temperature and humidity. Outside the weather changes, inside it doesn’t.
Space
On several levels: 1/100 of the land of conventional farming.
Growing without soil.
For a plant, soil is a support and a store of water and mineral salts. Out of soil, we do without it: we give the roots, directly, the water and nutrients they need. Nothing is lost into the ground and nothing comes from it.
Hydroponics
The roots grow in water, where we dissolve the nutrients. The water circulates in a closed loop and is used again.
Aeroponics
The roots hang in the air: we wet them with a fine mist of water and nutrients. This way they also get plenty of oxygen.
Renewable energy, 100% self-produced.
From the Oglio river
The same river that drove the cotton mill now powers our hydro plant.
From the sun
Our solar panels turn sunlight into the electricity we use.
What changes for the produce.
Clean
Grown indoors, out of soil and with no pesticides. No nickel or heavy metals.
Ready to eat
No need to wash it: from pack to plate.
Lasts longer
It keeps longer: less produce thrown away, in store and at home.
Four hands, one care.
Root is our artificial intelligence. It watches the plants day and night: light, water, nutrients, climate. It works hand in hand with our agronomists: Root measures and flags, they assess and decide. Quality and precision: tradition and innovation, together.
From seed to shelf.
01
The seed
We record the [variety and batch] of every sowing.
02
Growth
LED light and a steady climate, all recorded.
03
Care
No pesticides, sheltered from contamination.
04
Harvest
Every harvest has its own batch and date.
05
Delivery
On the shelf or in the kitchen in less than 8 hours.