infarm @METRO: First European indoor farm in METRO Germany

A revolution in agriculture - urban spaces are becoming the farms of the future.

In 2016, we placed microgreens and herbs in a METRO market to grow hydroponically in a transparent greenhouse in the immediate vicinity of the point of consumption. The produce is harvested three times a week and offered to customers.

We attribute this success to our innovative cooperation with infarm, a vertical-farming start-up from Berlin, Germany. Together, we’ve succeeded in making METRO the first wholesale store to install an indoor vertical farm unit in Europe - more precisely in the METRO Store in Berlin Friedrichshain.

Another 80 square meters of “instore farming” platform was installed in METRO Cash & Carry Paris, France, in October 2018.

The METRO wholesaler welcomes France's first indoor farm in its Nanterre store.The leading wholesaler in France continues its initiatives to provide solutions to its professional customers. On Tuesday, November 20, the country's first municipal indoor farm was opened, growing herbs and microgreens.

This inauguration is in line with a trend that is becoming increasingly important: urban farming, which aims to facilitate access to fresh food in the city. This urban agriculture complements the offer of traditional agriculture and provides an answer to food self-sufficiency issues in urban areas.

This cooperation was also realized with the start-up INFARM.
After two years of collaboration, METRO France and INFARM have set up 18 large units covering 80 m² of the METRO store in Nanterre for a production of almost 4 tons per year! A premiere in Europe! In each of these gardens are about 40 plants, spread over 7 levels, where 13 varieties of aromatic herbs and 4 types of microgreens grow.