Food for thought

Scotland’s world-leading role in the vertical farming movement will come under the spotlight this month, in the latest in a series of VisitScotland public talks aimed at building a platform for attracting future business events.

David Farquhar, CEO of Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS), the agritech business behind Scotland’s first vertical farm, will be one of two speakers at INNOVATEFOOD&DRINK, organised by the national tourism body’s business events team.

He will be joined by Fiona Richmond, Head Of Regional Food at Scotland Food & Drink, the country’s food and drink industry body, at Perth Concert Hall on 19 September, as they discuss innovation and the future of the £14.77 billion sector.

Scotland’s expertise in the industry has already seen it play host to many major international business events such as: the first-ever national UK Craft Distillers conference; the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade conference; and the first World Veterinary Poultry Association world congress to come to the UK in 20 years.

IGS launched its first vertical demonstration facility in August last year at the James Hutton Institute, a world leading crop research facility in Perthshire.The unique technology has been designed specifically to address some of vertical farming’s biggest challenges, including the cost of power and labour, as well as the inability to produce consistently high-quality, competitively priced produce at scale.

In June this year, the firm announced a £5.5 million ‘Series A’ funding round led by US-based S2G Ventures, the world’s leading agri-foodtech investor, as well as AgFunder and the Scottish Investment Bank, to enable the deployment of its technology across the globe.

Food & Drink is also the latest theme of the business events social media campaign, Legends, which begins this month.

See here for more and to book a place: https://businessevents.visitscotland.com/events-trade-shows/innovate-the-nation/innovate-food-drink/

ENDS