In this episode, I speak with Stefan Hey, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer at vGreens. We reminisce about our initial meeting at Vertifarm in Dortmund and the fascinating dinner conversations that led to a deeper connection. Stefan shares his journey from a childhood dream of becoming a gardener to his current role, where he combines his passion for plants with cutting-edge technology to revolutionize indoor farming. We delve into the specifics of vGreens’ focus on strawberries, exploring the challenges and innovations involved in growing this delicate fruit efficiently and sustainably.
Stefan's insights into the intricacies of strawberry cultivation are truly enlightening. He explains how vGreens is not just about growing strawberries but about creating a scalable model that can be applied to other fruits in the future. We also discuss the importance of R&D, the role of their farm management software, and the exciting prospects of expanding into the Asian market with a new facility in Singapore.
Stefan's dedication to sustainable food production and his collaborative approach with partners and engineering companies make this episode a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of agriculture.
Indoor AgCon - https://indoor.ag
7:38 Entrepreneurship Journey
10:51 Core Theme
16:33 Onboarding Process with New Partners
21:55 Future Outlook
27:19 Support for Indoor Farming
31:42 Diversity in Strawberry Varieties
33:58 Expansion to Singapore for Year-Round Production
38:09 Reintroduction of Fresh Produce
42:14 Indoor Farming and Future Berries
"I started to study agricultural biology at university, where it became more and more clear about how huge challenges that are facing agriculture, and specifically the sustainability aspect of how we grow food."
"One thing to realize is that the science matters and the plant is in the center of everything we do. That is probably one of the important messages that I would say is putting the plant in the center."
"The important thing about a system like DAP running smoothly is that man and machine becomes a unit and sort of works together, and software builds that bridge so that the machine is working together with the human to grow these crops and helps the human to make those growing decisions, to have a productive crop over time."
Website - https://v-greens.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefan-hey-ba9099130/
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Mentioned in this episode:
2025 US Indoor Farm Report
http://verticalfarmingpodcast.com/report
Indoor AgCon 2025
CEA Summit East 2024
AgTech Companies
https://agtechcompanies.com