The invisible microgreens industry
Growing greens underground
“We are turning the growing world on its head,” boasts the website blurb for arguably the most forward-looking rural businesses in this green and pleasant land. It’s not just exuberant marketing spiel. It’s literally the case. Because this is Growing Underground, a visionary company whose ‘fields’ nestle on laboratory-like trays bathed in pink LED light 108 feet beneath London’s Clapham streets.
Since its launch a decade ago, the pioneering electricity grantor has doubled its workforce and garnered – or should that be garnished – a growing reputation for producing the finest and freshest greens going.
Using the latest hydroponic systems and lighting technology, crops grow all year round in a perfect, pesticide-free environment using 100% renewable energy. The controlled environment means each tiny leaf retains the unique taste that has seen Tesco and Marks & Spencer queuing above ground for its Superfood, Asian and Italian mixes.
A further dozen microgreens, from green mizuna to purple rocket and garlic chive to pea shoots, are big sellers among foodie aficionados happy to pay more for a leaf containing 90 times more nutrients than its fully-grown counterpart.
“Our greens are unaffected by weather and seasonal changes and our location means we can drastically reduce the food miles for retailers and consumers. It takes just two weeks to grow our greens and they can be on your plate four hours later.”
Richard Ballard, Co-Founder, Growing Underground
The business, which uses 70% less water than traditional above-ground farming thanks to a hydroponic growing system, has moved rapidly since launch to also grow its sustainable credentials… and its passionate workforce which has doubled in size since the pandemic.
It’s spicy, peppery food for thought for farmers with limited space who are also contending with the vicissitudes of rain and blistering heat. Deep underground, where the Northern Line service rumbles its constant beat, there’s complete control over the growing environment – every day is a perfect summer’s day.
It’s all a far cry from generations earlier, as German V2 rockets caused mayhem at street level and around 8,000 terrified Londoners sought refuge in the series of labyrinthine tunnels built as bomb shelters at the onset of war.
After the hostilities, the fear-laden retreat of thousands with its bunk beds, hospital and mess, was forgotten as grantor Transport for London (TfL) concentrated on its core business of running the Underground. The eight interconnecting tunnels, some more than a kilometre in length, are impressive testament to the engineering capacity of a nation preparing to dig for victory.
Mimicking nature
Its depth beneath the capital means it’s well-insulated, so controlling its climate is more energy-efficient compared to a conventional greenhouse or agriculture farm with a controlled environment. As a result, you won’t find energy-intensive heating, ventilation or air conditioning systems here.
The farm, named in homage to rock band The Jam’s Going Underground hit, has a firm following among celebrity chefs dedicated to flavour. They get it thanks to a sustainable speed of delivery within the M25 that keeps the carbon footprint low.
Richard’s friend and fellow Co-Founder, Steven Dring, says: “It all started from a series of drunken conversations in the pub. We realised the only growth area was the green sector, so we wanted to do something sustainable with a low carbon footprint.”
The former business logistics executive and his partner approached TfL about the 65,000 square feet of tunnels and their leap into the dark became reality. Lighting equipment from Finland arrived and early trials of red oak lettuce saw spectacular results.
Steven said: “After chitting, the seed trays are drenched in water, which then ebbs away to be refreshed with nutrients before being pumped back in again. Throughout the process, the LED lights go on and off and the temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide levels are controlled so we’re basically mimicking nature.”
The slightest deviation in temperature is picked up by sensors, which alert one of the nine-strong team, who sow and cut around 70 metres of crop from 300 trays each day, ready for delivery.
“Our solution is a resilient model for the future of food production in the UK that can meet demand, strengthen supply chains and safeguard the environment. When we launched, we didn’t want to find somewhere that would limit us. We had to do it on a commercial scale. We always knew the sky would be the limit... even though we can’t see it down here.”
Steven Dring, Co-Founder, Growing Underground
ZCF
Clapham is parent company Zero Carbon Farms' (ZCF) first venture. The business is committed to innovative, technologically-driven approaches to growing within unused urban spaces.
5
The Growing Underground arm is committed to working towards five key pillars – Carbon Neutral Product, Greener Packaging, Zero Waste to Landfill Certification, 100% Electric Fleet and an Employee Volunteer Scheme.
2021
In 2021, ZCF became the first UK AgTech to be B Corp certified, which is helping the partners quantify and benchmark everything they’ve done from governance to environment and community to workers and customers.
Sustainable business practices
Offsetting
The business plants British Broad Leaf varieties, supplied by Carbon Footprint Ltd, to provide wildlife habitats, support biodiversity, reduce CO₂ and rewild the natural landscape. They also delivered trees to a school in Bristol, as a tribute to Steven and Richard’s home city, and another in London.
Energy
Growing with artificial lights requires more electricity than plants grown under the sun, but the LEDs at Clapham are highly efficient and need little energy to make the plants grow.
Packaging
The punnets are fully recyclable and made from recycled plastic.
Water
Water is one of the most precious resources in agriculture, and global supply is under increasing pressure. The friends use a savvy closed-loop irrigation system that allows them to safely re-use as much water as possible.
Community partnerships
Growing Underground work with City Harvest, a London-based charity that works on redistributing surplus food waste to those who need it the most. They reduce any bulk food waste and are aiming to support this partnership further with a volunteering scheme.
Workforce
Recruiting locally and always through ‘blind’ applications has led to a rapid expansion between 2020 and 2021, when the workforce more than doubled,
What next?
A second farm is in the pipeline, but any growth will be heavily dependent on maintaining the carbon-neutral and B Corp principles that have made the venture such a huge success.
Find out how Growing Underground's sustainability strategy could help your business.
