In a groundbreaking development for sustainable agriculture, the world's first large-scale indoor vertical strawberry farm has opened its doors in Richmond, Virginia. This innovative facility, operated by Plenty Unlimited Inc., opened on Sept. 24, 2024, and is set to revolutionize berry production and pave the way for a more sustainable future in farming.

If you’ve ever bought strawberries in the United States, then you’re probably familiar with Driscoll’s. They are one of the largest strawberry producers in North America, and they are leading the charge in vertical farming. Vertical farming is a farm that isn’t splayed out across several acres of flat land. It’s a farm that is structured in a vertical building, making it perfect for farming in the middle of a major city.

One of the world’s most high-tech indoor vertical farms is right here in Southern California, in Compton. I headed there to find out more about what role indoor farming may play in the future of food. As increasingly extreme weather driven by human-caused pollution in the atmosphere makes it harder — if not impossible — to farm outside in formerly high-producing regions, could farming indoors be part of the solution?

Plenty Unlimited Inc. has helped create advancements in indoor farming over the past decade in its research and development (R&D) center in Laramie, Wyo., leveraging its proprietary R&D technology platform. After receiving an economic development grant given by the State of Wyoming, Plenty is expanding its R&D footprint and build a large vertical farming research center in Laramie with the support of the Wyoming Business Council, Laramie Chamber Business Alliance and City of Laramie. Following the selection of MOA Architecture as the project's A&E firm, the design for the research center is now complete. Plenty will break ground next spring and is targeting summer 2026 for the opening of the new facility.

7-Eleven Inc. has formed a new venture with indoor vertical farming company Plenty Unlimited Inc. “to further its commitment to sustainability through the availability of fresh, sustainably grown produce.” 7-Eleven will offer lettuce from Plenty’s Compton, California, indoor farm in salads sold at approximately 1,300 convenience stores in California.

U.S. vertical farming startup Plenty is forming a joint venture with Mawarid, a subsidiary of Alpha Dhabi Holding, in a $680 million deal to develop a network of indoor farms in the Middle East, the companies told Reuters.

Climate change, severe weather, natural disasters, conflict and many more issues are disrupting global food supply and reducing food security. The need to produce 70% more food by 2050 to feed the growing global population adds to the pressure. Yet, we’ll have far less farmland to produce that food – at the current erosion rates, only 10% of all farmable soil will be left by 2050.

This episode of California Bountiful begins in Sonoma, where we take part in a cheesemaking class... and then we go all the way up with a look at indoor vertical farming.