Vertical farming startup hopes to make fresh, healthy greens more affordable across America

The vertical farming startup from Vancouver, Washington hopes to transform the “green” industry.

Forward Greens

Could indoor farming (and vertical farming) be part of the answer, given that land is expensive to purchase and farmers are constantly exposed to weather-related changes and advocate for greener and more local food production?

Forward Greens, a resident of Vancouver, Washington Vertical Farm redesigns and re-uses existing machines, technologies and traditional farming methods. Founder Ken Kaneko, who previously worked in tech at Intel and Apple, is now exploring how indoor farming can be made an accessible resource across the country.

Here you can find out more about his unique journey from technology to agriculture and his new mission to make us vertically greener.

Chhabra: You were inspired in Japan. Tell me what you saw there and how it got your wheels turning.

Kaneko: When I was working at Apple, I went to Japan on business to look for real estate to manufacture electronic components for phones and other devices. Japan used to have many semiconductor and hard drive manufacturing facilities before much of it was outsourced, similar to America. We looked at many of these older locations that were often vacant or repurposed for other activities. One of the locations was an indoor farm and that piqued my interest.

My background is in research and development for semiconductors, and the fact that plants were growing in an old semiconductor factory made me think, “Maybe I can try that.” So I did.

Founder Ken Kaneko

Forward Greens

Chhabra: Why don’t we do more vertical farming? It makes a lot of sense from different angles – space, water, cost, etc.

Kaneko: There is a capital intensity that is not easy to manage. This is partly due to the fact that a strong network of providers and sub-providers is not yet fully developed. Therefore, setting up the right equipment can have high up-front costs. While vertical farming is poised to change the future of agriculture because of its multiple environmental, food safety and supply chain benefits, starting a farm can be expensive, especially if it’s built to scale. Production has yet to be formalized so that it can be replicated and used as a template for building multiple vertical farms across the country. This would help the industry deliver an inexpensive product to consumers in a financially sustainable manner.

Another key component is that it takes time to introduce something new. The idea of ​​vertical farming is gaining traction, but most consumers need training to understand what exactly it is, how it works, what benefits it offers, what things can be grown, etc. Without that knowledge, it can be an intimidating industry be. The product itself is also heavily marketed. So much marketing dollars have gone into different brands, growing methods, varieties, and so on. Overcoming this problem, especially as a newbie, takes time.

Chhabra: How did you finance this company?

Kaneko: Forward Greens was funded by a mixture of capital from friends, acquaintances and my own savings.

Chhabra: What challenges did you face during your first harvest? Any major learning curves?

Kaneko: Everything about this experience was humble. The first harvest went surprisingly well in terms of product formulation, product packaging, quality assurance and food safety. The hardest part was learning how the distribution business works in terms of retailer preference and margin expectations.

Chhabra: Do you think vertical farming is getting enough traction and support?

Kaneko: I think vertical farming is becoming increasingly important as a number of facilities are opening up across the country. Vertical farms coupled with controlled environment greenhouses are likely to create a unique market category known for never using pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. In addition to the benefits for the environment, these farms offer a significant safety factor that free-range farming can hardly control, especially with fresh products.

Chhabra: How do you think you can make vertical farming cheaper and easier to replicate?

Kaneko: From an idealistic technical point of view, I would like to believe that anything is possible to make vertical farming cheaper. The hard part is doing this facility at a reasonable cost. To do this, the industry needs collective insights based on the successes and mistakes of everyone involved. You see something similar with the latest technologies in electronics and automobiles. When companies start repeating the ideas of others, innovations arise. And as more companies build on these solutions, the costs associated with these solutions can be reduced.

Forward Greens has a strong focus on the cost of delivering a fantastic product to the consumer. Our goal is to optimize the costs of the entire process by using existing machines, technologies and methods that have already proven themselves in the agricultural and packaging industries. Our focus is on rationalizing production in order to spend more time aligning the practice with its intended use: less land, less water, no pesticide use, and prioritizing the environment. Efficient use of technology leads to new ways of applying the technology.

Chhabra: What do you think of all the talk about regenerative agriculture? Where does vertical farming fit in?

Kaneko: In addition to land use, deforestation, and the release of water and chemicals into the environment, agriculture has a major impact on greenhouse gas emissions. And many people are now noticing these effects. Any practice or methodology that helps mitigate the impact on the environment should be viewed as part of the solution portfolio. Regenerative farming, organic farming, environmental controlled farming, and vertical farming should all be practiced as they optimize for different impacts.

Similar to negotiating problems in science, politics, etc., there is seldom a single solution that addresses all problems. I think this is especially true of something as complex as climate change and repairing the environment.

Chhabra: Do you need to have a branded product to make it a profitable business, or can you just be a classic farmer (albeit vertical) and sell the crop to traders / CSAs / markets?

Any of these models can work. Forward Greens chose the brand of our greens because we hope to educate consumers about the benefits of our methods and products. Since we are indoors, we do not use pesticides, herbicides or fungicides. We use 97% less land and 95% less water than traditional outdoor farming. As a company and brand, Forward Greens is also able to build local partnerships within our own community through job opportunities and food donations. These benefits and opportunities are largely due to the fact that we grow our products and sell them under our brand.

Since agricultural products traditionally trade many hands, the integrity of the product is often compromised at every node in the supply chain. The farms, packers, traders, etc. all have competing interests so messaging and communication can be inconsistent for the end user. Forward Greens believes in what we do and how we do it. That is why we want to keep a communication channel open directly with our consumers.