Climate-smart vertical farming is on the rise, and Mariestad is excited to welcome the innovative tech company Grönska to our municipality.
Imagine being able to go to your local Swedish store or restaurant in midwinter and get hold of super-fresh, locally produced herbs and vegetables – harvested on-site.
Impossible? Not any more.
Thanks to Grönska’s portable farming modules, a variety of greens can be grown, produced and harvested anywhere – and at any time of the year.
The modules are full of sensors and high-tech solutions and are constantly being developed and worked on to make the farming methods more effective. Photo: Johan Marklund
Grönska’s vertical farming method comes with many environmental and climate benefits. It’s energy-efficient, it uses 95 percent less water than free-land farming, it’s pesticide-free, and it uses far less space than traditional farming. Grönska’s produce is also grown in compostable posts and packaged in paper.
The module, called GrowOff, is a vertical indoor farm, with the looks of a modern display cabinet. It is packed with sensors and smart solutions that make it very easy to use. The module collects data 24/7 and tells you exactly when it’s time to remove the covers of the plants, and when to harvest the produce. The whole process can be monitored from the customer’s smartphone. ”Tech has always been at the core of our business model and our way of thinking. How could we do things in a smarter and more effective way? For example, we have developed our own illumination system, and we have made sure we only use the exact amount of water that is needed for each plant. And thanks to the closed-circuit system, no water and no nutrients go to waste”, says Natalie de Brun, CFO, and co-founder of Grönska. 
“We believe this is a farming method of the future”, says Natalie de Brun, co-founder of Grönska. Photo: Johan Marklund
Moreover, Grönska (Swedish for Greenery) takes the concept of “locally produced” to a whole new level, since its plants can actually be grown and harvested in the same grocery store or restaurant where they are sold. Which of course also minimizes the need for transportation.
Born in a basement on the outskirts of Stockholm in 2014, Grönska has grown almost as quickly as its plants. In 2018 the company inaugurated one of Europe’s largest vertical farms, and at the beginning of 2022 the company expanded its business to Mariestad, where a new manufacturing facility for the production of the GrowOff farming modules has just been set up.
”We wanted to manufacture our products locally instead of setting up a facility in lower-cost regions, like Eastern Europe”, says Patrik Vidlund, Production Manager at Grönska. ”We have had many conversations with Susanné Wallner [Business Manager of Mariestad], and we were really attracted by Mariestads willingness and eagerness to support solutions for a sustainable future.”
Another thing that attracted Grönska was Electrivillage, Mariestad’s model area for sustainable development. Electrivillage is a venture that involves testing and demonstration of sustainable transport and energy systems that will help Mariestad meets its ambitious climate goals like the Agenda 2030 for a fossil-free society and the Paris agreement. ”We also believe in the workforce of a small town. There is a lot of knowledge in tech and montage here, which could be of great use to us”, says Patrik Vidlund.
”We wanted to manufacture our products locally instead of setting up a facility in lower-cost regions”, says Patrik Vidlund, Production Manager at Grönska.
At the time of this interview, Grönska’s Mariestad facility has just finished the production of the first few Growoff modules. Before the end of the next financial year, at least 100 modules will have been delivered.
”Currently, we only have two employees working here. But before the end of the year, we hope there will be ten of us”, says Patrik Vidlund.
Susanné Wallner, Business Manager at Mariestad, is super happy with having Grönska set up its construction facility in the municipality. ”We have for some time now worked to help Grönska establish its manufacturing facility here. This establishment is completely in line with our focus on industrial sustainability, and it shows that our work with Electrivillage is paying off. We hope to attract more companies of this kind, but also to see more of our existing companies taking steps to become more sustainable”, she says.
Read the previous articles in this series:
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Are there companies that support the ideas of sustainability projects and achieve great financial profit?
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Wow! Really inspiring and congrats Susanné and Mariestad to your persistent and long term sustainability work💚
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This is great if it's energy-efficient! A lot of criticism of vertical indoor farming is how much more energy it uses than traditional free land farming. So I would love to know more about the energy efficiency part :)
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I agree with @sarah chabane, I am myself quite critical about this type of farming as I think it is masking the real issues here in our farming methods. I truly believe in going back to the roots (no joke intended! 😁) through simple solutions. Though, it is always great to hear about such a great effort to improve this sector.
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This is great!