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Sustainable basil on the shelves at Bio-Planet
11
May
2020
The new generation basil plants, grown in several layers above one another in our own 'vertical farm', are available since 4 March under private label Boni Selection in the 31 stores and webshop of Bio-Planet. With these high-tech plants, we signal an innovation on the Belgian market. These sustainable herbs not only have a tiny ecological footprint, their taste is surprisingly fresh and vigorous. Later in the year, coriander will join the range.
Sustainable and home-grown
After two years of testing, it's a first for us to market herbs grown on our own 'vertical farm'. In this closed system, plants are grown in rows one above the other. This method is pesticide-free and requires 90% less water and 20 times less surface area than conventional agriculture. The installation is very energy-efficient and runs for 100 % on green energy. By integrating the farm in one of our distribution centres, it has also been possible to reduce the number of transport kilometres to one fifth.
Perfect for the Bio-Planet customer
"All these aspects make the farm and the basil plants very sustainable, and that is the most important factor for Bio-Planet”, says Fabrice Gobbato, Managing Director of Bio-Planet. "After all, we want to offer our customers products that are sustainable, local and innovative. We believe that vertical farming could be the answer to our customers’ rising expectations in terms of responsible consumption. We have made a start with basil and later this year, will add coriander to the range.”
A tasty, high-quality product
The high-tech installation has space for 250,000 plants. The basil plants are grown naturally and their quality stays the same all year long, regardless of weather conditions. The fresh and strong basil flavour was also determined by the Bio-Planet customers on the basis of tasting tests. Bio-Planet has also worked on recyclable packaging. The basil plants are for sale since 4 March exclusively in the stores and webshop of Bio-Planet.
With this initiative, we contribute to the following Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
