Jones Food Company, backed by Ocado Group, takes vertical farming to new heights

A big part of Ocado's success comes from our drive to disrupt age-old approaches to retail supply chains. This vision is rooted in our heritage in online grocery, where tight margins and large volumes force a laser-focus on efficiency, and where there is no 'silver bullet' solution to transforming the economics of a shopping basket. 
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In online grocery, the big efficiency gains come through a relentless focus on incremental improvements across the value chain, taking advantage of cutting-edge technologies and innovative approaches to logistics. 

Alongside our own proprietary technologies (1100+ granted patents), we’ve invested in businesses that share Ocado's DNA, bringing new efficiencies, innovation, and a focus on continuous improvement to different aspects of the grocery value chain. This includes investments in autonomous vehicle technology for the last mile, as well as vertical farming at the top end of the supply chain.

Ocado Group’s investment in Jones Food Company

Ocado Group has been an investor in Jones Food Company since 2019, a vertical farming company that designs, builds, and operates commercial farms in the UK. Ocado Group has supported the JFC team to innovate and commercialise their vertical farming offering at pace, supporting the company with market-leading technology expertise across automation, logistics, and distribution.

‍What is vertical farming?

Vertical farming is an advanced method of growing produce indoors in stacked layers, utilising cutting-edge technology to create ideal growing conditions. This innovative approach can provide unparalleled control over the environment, safeguarding crops from natural elements and eradicating the need for pesticides and fungicides. The resulting produce is consistently clean, nutritious, and available year-round. What’s more, vertical farming has the potential to achieve yields much greater than traditional agriculture, with shorter growing times and longer shelf life.

The market for vertical farming is growing rapidly, with the industry expected to reach $9.7 billion worldwide by 2026¹_. Jones Food Company is well set to grasp this opportunity by producing fresh, sustainable produce at scale and taking an innovative approach to its peers in the space.

What sets Jones Food Company apart in the field of vertical farming? 

Jones Food Company's success, where others have failed, is attributed to its ability to deliver high-quality produce sustainably at a competitive price on a large scale. Alongside their focus on efficiency and smart use of technology across the end-to-end production process. 

Sustainable from the start

The wider vertical farming industry has faced challenges due to a heavy reliance on expensive energy resources for lighting and climate control. But where some vertical farm ventures have failed, others found opportunity - JFC focuses on reducing energy costs, particularly within temperature and humidity control, benefiting both the environment and business.

This sustainable approach is crucial in providing affordable produce for shoppers.

James Lloyd-Jones, CEO of JFC, points out:

We’ve honed our experiences and learnings from previous sites to optimise our newest site. In doing so, we’ve slashed running costs and energy use, designing a commercial solution at scale. The scale we provide enables a competitive cost base for premium products such as healthy herbs, salad leaves, cut flowers and soft fruit."

‍Many vertical farming ventures often still rely on fossil fuels, which can lead to overall greenhouse gas emissions greater than open-field farming². However, JFC has prioritised sustainability from the beginning, leveraging cutting-edge industry expertise, renewable energy and intelligent engineering.

James explains:

The company relies on 100% renewable energy, including solar panels on the roof of our farm. Vertical farms can efficiently capture and recirculate water on a large scale. Through a closed-loop irrigation system, each litre of water is cleaned and reused up to 30 times, reducing total water usage by up to 90% per kilogram of produce grown compared to traditional farming methods."

Making scale a reality 

Their approach isn’t just a smart theory; it's applied innovation being used at scale. They provide a commercial product while also conducting cutting-edge research and development. They already supply 14,000 kilograms per month of fresh salad and herbs to the grocery retail sector in the UK. Produce from mixed baby leaf salad and pesto sauce is also available on ocado.com. 

Their recently constructed vertical farm in Lydney, near Gloucestershire, was launched in 2023 and is Europe's largest high-care vertical farm. With the equivalent of over 70 tennis courts' space to grow produce, it’s capable of growing hundreds of tonnes of herbs and leafy greens each year. 

What does the future hold for Vertical Farming?

Vertical farming has the potential to disrupt and transform the fresh produce supply chain. By shortening the air and road miles food must travel from growth to people's plates, vertical farms can improve food freshness and quality while delivering sustainable and dependable processes throughout the value chain. 

With sustainable, premium-quality food at a competitive price now a reality with JFC’s vertical farms in the UK, the long-term potential of sustainable, affordable produce at scale is significant as the technology develops worldwide.

James Donkin, CTO, Ocado Group stated:

We are witnessing how technology is revolutionising the online grocery and distribution industries from end-to-end. We are staying ahead of this trend by investing in and exploring the potential of smart technology and expertise in areas such as vertical farming to unearth efficiencies and productivity across the supply chain. Our forward-focused initiatives, such as our partnership with the Jones Food Company, are important for us to continue changing the way the world shops for good, now and into the future."

1. Source: ResearchAndMarkets.com, a data analysis firm
2. Source: Science and Direct

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