GrowUp set to quadruple production as Kent vertical farm expansion plans are greenlit

Published by

Tom Kilkelly

The GrowUp Plant, credit: GrowUp

Food production company GrowUp has had plans to expand its Pepperness vertical farm in Kent greenlit by Dover District Council.

The site, located at Discovery Park, can now carry out plans to raise the height of the current farm to 24.87 metres from 18.9 metres, giving the operation more space for growing chambers.

Expanding Pepperness will allow the company to quadruple their production of salad.

There will also be a new chiller building with loading bays, a new plant building, parking spaces for 30 cars and three HGV vehicles and provision of 27 ground level cooler units.

GrowUp Farms was the first vertical farm in the UK to launch a branded salad into a major supermarket group: the company launched Fresh Leaf Co. in UK Iceland stores earlier this year.

Founders Kate and Tom Webster took the concept of vertical farming from a small unit in London using aquaponic methods to the multi-faceted operation at Pepperness in Kent.

Kate said: “It’s been a busy 10 months since we launched GrowUp Farms at Discovery Park with the GrowUp Farms team working round the clock.

“Getting the green light from the planning department at Dover District Council means we can really start to ramp up production at Pepperness, supplying more Fresh Leaf Co. to Iceland stores around the country as well as launching a new salad brand later this year.

“The UK relies on importing 67 per cent of the salad we eat each year, and over 90 per cent in the winter. Our farm at Pepperness is going to play a key role, alongside traditional farming, in helping the UK end its over-reliance on imports, and getting this planning permission is going to go a long way in helping us to achieve that goal.

“Discovery Park is the perfect location for our farm, and we are thrilled to be able to be part of the really supportive business community there as well as being an employer of local people.”

Tom Kilkelly

Tom Kilkelly started working as a freelance journalist for The Business Magazine following his graduation from UCL in 2022. During his studies Tom became very interested in the works of Irish authors including Samuel Beckett and Flann O'Brien (Brian O'Nolan). His current role as a freelance business reporter is his first exposure to the world of business journalism. Working at TBM has given Tom the chance to really get to grips with the goings-on in the business hive that is the South East.