This is the third in a series of 6 blogs about the 2016 Ingenious Award Winners:
Small/Medium Private, Non-ICT Sector Winner: NatureFresh™ Farms
What started in 1999 as a greenhouse design business, NatureFresh has become the largest independently operated greenhouse grower in Canada, with large supermarket customers such as Kroger in the U.S. and The Great Canadian Superstore in Canada.
A result of a convergence of Cloud, Internet of Things, and 3D printing, a unique part of NatureFresh’s operation is a mobile trailer that has been converted into a greenhouse, which any grower can control from their smartphone. The mobile greenhouse is similar to the company’s actual greenhouses; a smartphone can control the temperature, opening or closing of vents, and watering the plants, from anywhere in the world. The technology has led to a dramatic increase of almost 30% in produce yield, while also reducing energy and labour costs.
Watch the brief video introduction here.
Read the full story here.