October 21, 2010

Mini greenhouse for Japanese restaurants can grow 20,000 lettuce heads a year

by iona

While in-store greenhouses in Subway joints in Tokyo sounded fun, the minimal amounts of lettuce they produced were not commercially viable. Dentsu Facility Management Inc. however, claim there on-site greenhouse, is. Dentsu has announced the commercial launch of its “Chef’s Farm,” a mini-veggie unit that can be installed in restaurants to grow veg on-site. Each Chef’s Farm comes with five planting beds, and sponges to nurture individual seeds. Twelve 40W fluorescent lamps provide each bed with solar power, an air shower sprinkles the necessary moisture and other techno-gadgetry monitors lighting strength, water levels and bed temperatures. Dentsu claim a single unit can grow up to sixty heads of lettuce per day (20,000 per year), and profits from these will allow you to recoup your investment in the “Farm” in about five years.

A Chef’s Farm will cost you about $90,000 (¥8.3 million).
[Techon]