Draft:GrowUp Farms

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  • Comment: I still do not think you are understanding. This was NOT declined for using the company website as a source so simply removing it and resubmitting is not going to get the job done. Please thoroughly review the comments left by reviewers in order to clean up the draft for review. Please also read WP:COI and WP:PAID and make the appropriate disclosure if you have not done so already. CNMall41 (talk) 10:19, 21 February 2024 (UTC)
  • Comment: The draft cites too many primary sources; multiple citations are duplicates; some references refer to press releases which don't indicate notability. Please fix. Best regards, --Johannes (Talk) (Contribs) (Articles) 03:33, 14 February 2024 (UTC)
  • Comment: Leaving another note here based on your message. First, you will need to disclose BEFORE doing anything. As far as your question about submission, it is NOT about disclosure, it is about the advert language that has been brought to your attention twice. Your question side steps the issue which is concerning. CNMall41 (talk) 19:29, 6 February 2024 (UTC)
  • Comment: Leaving you a note here as I cannot ping IP addresses on my talk page. The decline was not for using the company website. It is stated in the decline notification that it was due to it reading like an advertisement. The draft reads more like a company website than a Wikipedia entry. Based on your editing, I would assume you have a WP:COI or are being WP:PAID. That is fine but please make the disclosure. The reason I mention is that it can often be difficult to write an article from a WP:NPOV when you have a connection to the topic. CNMall41 (talk) 19:05, 5 February 2024 (UTC)


GrowUp Farms is a vertical farming business based in Kent, UK. Founded in 2013 by Kate Hofman and Tom Webster, the company’s first farm was funded by a Kickstarter campaign.

The main site is a farm called Pepperness, located in Sandwich, Kent. Here the business grows a variety of salad crops on the equivalent of 1,000 acres of Grade 1 farmland, supplying restaurants and supermarkets around the UK with ready-to-eat bagged salad.[1]

GrowUp initially used aquaponics to sustainably farm fish and vegetables. The company ceased fish farming in 2017, instead using hydroponics and renewable energy to produce salad and herbs. In 2022, GrowUp was certified as a B Corp.[2]

The company co-locates farms with bioenergy sources so they can use renewable energy to grow crops.[3] The leaves are grown without using pesticides that are sometimes used in traditional farming. [4]

In 2023, the company launched a new brand, Unbeleafable, offering a range of bagged salads grown on the vertical farm.[5] Available to buy in Tesco, the launch marked the first time vertically-farmed salad was sold by one of the UK’s four biggest supermarkets.[6]


Farms[edit]

GrowUp Box[edit]

The GrowUp Box was GrowUp’s first farm, launched in 2013. The aquaponic urban farm located in Stratford, London, was designed to grow salad, vegetables and fish sustainably. It produced up to 100kg of fish and 400kg of lettuce per year.[7]

The farm consisted of a shipping container with a greenhouse on top. It supplied restaurants in Borough Market with salad and herbs.

Unit 84[edit]

In 2014, GrowUp opened Unit 84, the UK’s first commercial-scale aquaponic, vertical urban farm.[8]

Located in Beckton, UK, the farm supplied restaurants and independent stores in London with fish and fresh produce, using an electric van to make deliveries. The site closed in 2018.

The Recipe Centre[edit]

The Recipe Centre, located in the Agri-Epi Centre on the Harper Adams University campus, was GrowUp’s R&D centre. Here, the company researched new ways to sustainably farm crops. The Recipe Centre opened in 2019 and closed in January 2023 when GrowUp’s R&D operations moved to The Leaf Lab.

The Leaf Lab[edit]

GrowUp opened the Leaf Lab in January 2023. Located in Bourn Quarter, Cambridge’s Sustainable Business Park, it replaced The Recipe Centre as the company’s research facility. The Leaf Lab researches new methods of growing plants in their UK-based vertical farms.[9]

Pepperness[edit]

Opened in 2022, Pepperness farm was built on a brownfield site near Sandwich, Kent.[10]

The farm takes low-grade heat from the neighbouring renewable energy power station and uses it to heat and cool the farm, using 40% less electricity than a grid-connected vertical farm.[11] Pepperness also uses 94% less water than traditional farming, and does not use any pesticides or create any chemical run-off.[12]

Acquisition and Funding[edit]

In 2019, GrowUp Farms was acquired by Vescor, part of renewable energy developer Estover Energy.[13] In 2022, GrowUp Farms received investment from US Public Benefit Corporation Generate Capital.[14] In 2023 the company changed its name to GrowUp Group Limited.[15]


Products and Distribution[edit]

Unbeleafable[edit]

Launched in July 2023, GrowUp’s bagged salad brand Unbeleafable is available to buy in Tesco stores. The range includes crispy green leaves, rocket and baby leaves, and mixed baby leaves.[16]

Fresh Leaf Co.[edit]

Another GrowUp bagged salad brand, launched in February 2023, is Fresh Leaf Co. It is available in supermarket chain Iceland with a range that includes mixed red and green leaves.[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Our Farms - Pepperness". GrowUp Farms. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  2. ^ "GrowUp Farms is pleased to announce it has been awarded B Corp status". Farming News. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  3. ^ "UK: GrowUp Farms launches first range of vertically ready-to-eat salads into Tesco". Vertical Farming Daily. 7 August 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  4. ^ Duncan, Grace (12 January 2024). "How GrowUp Farms is growing UK salad supply year-round". The Grocer. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  5. ^ Shulman, Marc Lev (8 August 2023). "GrowUp Farms Unveils Unbeleafable". iGrow News. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  6. ^ Duncan, Grace (25 July 2023). "GrowUp Farms launches vertically farmed salads into Tesco". The Grocer. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  7. ^ Menocal, Cat Garcia (26 June 2013). "growUP box: an aquaponic shipping container farm". Design Boom. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  8. ^ D'Antino, Alessio (29 March 2016). "GrowUp Urban Farms: Modern Farming in the Heart of London". Forward Fooding. Medium. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Our Leaf Lab". GrowUp Farm. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  10. ^ Buchanan, Abigail (22 March 2023). "The futuristic farming technique that could solve our food crisis". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  11. ^ Gilmour, Rod (17 February 2024). "Behind the brand: GrowUp Farms, the UK's fastest-growing salad brand". Yahoo!Finance. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  12. ^ Duncan, Grace (17 February 2022). "GrowUp Farms secures £100m in funding for vertical farm in Kent". The Grocer. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  13. ^ "GrowUp Farms secures funding for vertical farm in Kent". Hort News. 23 February 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  14. ^ Duncan, Grace (17 February 2022). "GrowUp Farms secures £100m in funding for vertical farm in Kent". The Grocer. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  15. ^ "GrowUp Farms Ltd". Companies House. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  16. ^ "Tesco Lists First Range Of Ready-To-Eat Salads Grown In A Vertical Farm". Kam City. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  17. ^ Duncan, Grace (23 February 2023). "GrowUp Farms rolls vertically grown salad bags into Iceland". The Grocer. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
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