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Austin

Futuristic growing center coming to Austin-area

Berlin-based Infram to build 73,000-square-foot space for sustainable growing

Kyle Mayor Travis Mitchell and Infarm's Erez Galonska with Plum Creek Industrial Center (Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Maps, iStock)
Kyle Mayor Travis Mitchell and Infarm's Erez Galonska with Plum Creek Industrial Center (Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Maps, iStock)

Texas, known for barbeque, is about to get a lot of salad.

A Berlin-based urban farming company is bringing its sustainable growing centers to Kyle, just outside Austin, according to the Austin Business Journal. It will primarily grow
salad ingredients from more than 75 plants, producing more than 2.2 million pounds a year.

Infarm Indoor Farming and the city of Kyle completed an agreement for a 73,000-square-foot space at the Plum Creek Industrial Center at 19200 Marketplace Ave. It’s the company’s second U.S. location after opening its first vertical farming facility in Seattle in 2019.

Infram officials cited support from the city and growth potential in the area as well as the opportunity to offer fresh produce in nearby cities including Austin, Houston, San Antonio and Dallas.

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“Opening our next Growing Centre in Texas is strategically important for Infarm as Texas and the region around Austin are high-potential markets for our fresh produce,” CEO Erez Galonska said in a statement. “When fully equipped, the growing center will be able to feed more than 18 million people living in the Texas Triangle.”

Plans for the Kyle center come on the heels of a December announcement that the company had raised $200 million as part of a series D funding round. The company said it intends to use the money to expand growing centers to 100 in 2030, including 30 in the U.S., from 17 now.

“Agri-Tech innovations are of growing importance for our food systems and supply,” Kyle Mayor Travis Mitchell said in a statement. “That’s why it’s great to see a global vertical farming leader investing in the region and setting up business in Kyle.”

Kyle ranked among the nation’s fastest-growing cities over the past two decades, growing to 45,697 residents in 2020 from 5,314 in 2000, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

The company has also alluded to plans for expansion to the Middle East. The Qatar Investment Authority is set to back Infarm in opening its first growing center in Qatar in 2023.

[Austin Business Journal] – Maddy Sperling