Great Environment
Everything about the design of our glasshouses is there to create the perfect conditions for our strawberry plants, so that even when nature sometimes makes growing strawberries difficult, we are able to lower the stress on our plants and let them concentrate on making delicious fresh strawberries.
Our Matrix-GS™ growing system produces both amazing fruit and also delivers transformational improvements in environmental impacts associated with the supply chains that our fruit replaces.
This controlled environment, high density technology easily translates to production in any moderate/maritime climate, where local production is typically only possible during the summer months and compromises are made in terms of quality, availability or environmental impacts as imported fruit is used to fill the gap.
The special glass on the roof our glasshouse splits the suns rays making the light much more even throughout the glasshouse, giving every berry the same chance to enjoy the benefits of the sun.
When we reach the late autumn and winter months, light levels, daylight hours and temperature reduce. To maintain summer light levels, we use the latest LED lighting technology. Early mornings and late afternoons are dark in winter, but feel like summer in our glasshouse for our strawberries. We can tailor the four types of light – Red, Far Red, Green and White – to give the plants exactly what they need at different times of day. We have an efficient heating system that allows us to maintain just the right daytime and night-time temperatures for the plants. We can close screens in the roof to keep the warmth and light in the glasshouse, reducing the need to heat the environment. Air flow is also critical and our positive balanced air system ensure excellent air flow for every plant creating consistent healthy growing conditions and minimising disease risk.
One result of climate change is a much more volatile weather profile, with more periods that would be different to “normal” for the time of year – warmer or colder, wetter or drier. Our controlled environment glasshouse means we can smooth out these variations, providing a cooler environment on a super-hot week or heating the glasshouse when outside is unseasonably cold. Protecting the plants from extreme rainfall, but keeping them topped up with water during extended dry spells with the rainwater we have collected from the roof and stored in our reservoir.
Smart camera technology
Optimised conditions
AI insights
Precision Growing
Strawberry plants are living things. Every variety responds differently to the prevailing conditions and so how we look after those plants needs to be tailored to them.
To ensure that is the case, we capture huge amounts of information on our plants – from how much light, heat, water and food they have enjoyed to their photosynthesis rates through to the levels of sweetness and texture of the berries. Smart camera technology tracks the yield of the plants. We use machine learning systems and AI to take this big-data set and provide insight on what would be the optimum response to the current conditions. Ensuring perfect berries are available at harvest time and yield for the glasshouse is optimised.
Different zones in our glasshouse can be set at different levels, meaning that if, for example, one variety needs more water than another, that is what it will get.
Operational Efficiency
Our glasshouses are highly efficient. The ground is laser levelled, giving just the right angle for gravity to provide us the perfect flow of water in our troughs. Automatic irrigators and applicators run on rails and are controlled from the office by one person. Driverless mini-trucks transport the picked berries to the cooler. These berries are chilled down to 2°C within 40 minutes of harvest, meaning they stay fresher of longer once they are in your fridge.
We use UVC light to prevent powdering mildew – a traditional problem for strawberry plants. Our automated UVC system travels throughout the glasshouse, shining light on each plant during the night. No need for chemical sprays and people to apply them.
Early adopters
Our precision environment makes early adoption of the latest tech much easier. New advances in technology, such as automated harvesters, are coming all the time. But operating in undulating field conditions is tough for any machine. Much easier to be effective in a controlled environment when you can literally “run on rails” and reach every plant quicky and efficiently.
All of these efficiency gains are critically important as we look to produce our fruit at the best possible cost. We are less reliant on labour and able to produce higher yields at lower costs than our competitors.