AKD has assisted De Hoge Dennen in acquiring a stake in PlantLab Groep B.V. and its subsidiaries.
PlantLab has developed a globally patented technology for ‘vertical farming’, a hyper-efficient method for growing vegetables and fruits. PlantLab develops and operates multiple custom-built indoor farms called ‘Plantlab Production Units’ (PPUs) at commercial scale worldwide and focusses on delivering the freshest produce to its customers. The PPU’s consist of high-tech cultivation rooms, which do not require daylight and in which the crops are grown in stacked layers. Thanks to optimized temperature, moisture, and light control, the crops grow to their full potential, while water use is reduced by as much as 95%. Also, no chemical crop protection agents are being used. In a PPU with a surface area the size of only two football fields, it is now possible to produce enough crops to provide 100,000 people with 200 grams of vegetables each on a daily basis.
The PPUs require fewer environmental inputs than conventional and organic farms and can basically be located everywhere in the world, enabling self-sufficiency and access to affordable fresh produce even at places where production is normally not possible.
The technology developed by PlantLab is already being successfully applied in a commercial production site in Amsterdam. PlantLab will use the injection of capital by De Hoge Dennen Capital to open indoor production sites in various countries, including the Netherlands, the US, and the Bahamas.
De Hoge Dennen Capital is the investment company of the De Rijcke family. The entrepreneurial family started its investment activities in 2002 after the sale of its international retail activities, including the Kruidvat drugstore chain, the ICI Paris XL perfumery stores and the Groenwoudt supermarket group. De Hoge Dennen Capital is currently investing in medium-sized (family) businesses with headquarters in the Netherlands, which distinguish themselves through ambitious management and good growth prospects. De Hoge Dennen Capital has made previous investments in the online supermarket Picnic, the salad producer De Menken Keuken, and the electric bicycle brand QWIC.
The AKD team consisted of Nathalie van Woerkom, Rosanne Vlasveld, Rianne Wessels and Mariëlle van Winden - Spaans. Robert Jean Kloprogge, Annette Zwart and Sjoerd Waagmeester of the Tax department of AKD were also involved.