Automated crop production that doesn’t even require soil? Gréta Rácz and her father, Sándor Rácz, have developed a unique system that can answer many of the pressing questions in the agro-industrial sector. Innovation, curiosity, determination, and sustainability—that’s the Green Drops Farm team.
At the beginning of their story, Gréta’s grandparents grew vegetables in their home garden using traditional open-field techniques. It was then that they were confronted with the time and effort it takes to water, hoe, and weed their gardens on a daily basis.
“Our goal was to create a family hobby garden at home where we could grow our own crops in a self-sustainable way, but we could not devote the quality and quantity of time to it. Also, growing plants in sandy soil is not the most successful and efficient way.”
The internal motivation was fueled by a documentary they had seen at the time about a passive house with an aquaponic system. Aquaponics is a food production process in which fish farming and hydroponics methods form a symbiotic unit. His father, who had always loved fishing, was so taken with the idea that they quickly set up their own home system.
“I was really just helping out at the time, I was a teenager, I wasn’t necessarily thinking about doing something like this in the future,” says Gréta.
Rotower is a closed, automated technology that, unlike traditional growing or greenhouse options, can be used in winter and summer with proper temperature management, nutrient management, and lighting, and is not limited by seasonality. As the cultivation is vertical and rotating, the process is fully mobile and requires significantly less space than any other system. This means that they can be placed locally, and the ecological footprint is much smaller, as there is no need to transport the right quality of crop from hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away.
“Our experience shows that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find large numbers of workers of the right quality for production. In this fast-paced world, everyone needs everything immediately, but no one has time for anything. So, we’ve created an automated system to help farmers and growers.”
The roots of the plant itself are not constantly in water, so the towers combine the beneficial properties of aeroponics, hydroponics, and aquaponics. This allows 150 to 170 plants to be grown per square meter. The Rotower is best suited for a variety of salad greens, herbs, and microgreens, but can also be used to grow cocktail tomatoes or strawberries. The more specific the formula, the more distinctive and high-quality the outcome.
“Depending on the restaurant’s needs, I can also influence the spiciness of an arugula. If they want a more characterful flavor as a base, we can accommodate that. We’ve had conversations with several restaurants who say that the quality and taste of the plant they get from abroad is not exactly what they expect.”
Their towers can be found in many countries across Europe and they are currently building relationships with customers in the UK and Germany. Their aim is to have a presence in the whole of the European market within a few years and to continue to innovate in support of the agricultural industry. We’ll certainly hear more from them.
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