Romanian agtech start-up Ultragreens enters Bulgarian market

Ultragreens will grow produce directly in its first two micro green houses in a Kaufland Bulgaria's supermarket in the capital Sofia, in readiness to open its first vertical farming green hub in Bulgaria, with a production area of more than 1,250 square metres, the company said in a press release earlier this week.

Founded in 2014 and formerly named Microgreens Romania, Ultragreens develops and uses technology, including machine learning and AI, to produce micro-plants, aromatic herbs, baby salads and sprouts in a controlled, pesticide-free environment almost halving the amount of water normally required.

Over the next four months, Ultragreens plans to expand the number of its micro green units in several Kaufland stores in Sofia

By the end of 2022, the start-up plans to launch Europe's largest vertical greenhouse in Europe in Tatarani, Prahova County for an investment of close to 2 million euro ($1.95 million). The facility is developed in collaboration with the Romanian unit of salad producer Eisberg, part of Swiss group Bell Food.

In Bulgaria, Ultragreens has partnered with local entrepreneur Eugene Semionov for its local operations.

"Ultragreens’ expansion in Bulgaria is a very important step by which we declare our growth plans in the CEE space, but also the commitment for a healthier and socially responsible future," founder and CEO Cristian Tudor said.

The company has already established vertical hydroponic farming units at retailers in Romania such as Kaufland, Carrefour, Metro, Auchan and Cora.

($ = 1.02531 euro)