French startup Agricool is growing GMO-free, pesticide-free strawberries all year round inside shipping containers in the centre of Paris.

The startup is creating small urban farms in the middle of Paris using old shipping containers (which it calls “cooltainers”), in which it is able to vertically grow strawberries without the use of pesticides or GMOs, and using 90% less water than crops grown in the ground. Instead of sunlight, the cooltainers use LED lights that are powered by 100% renewable energy.

The startup claims that their locally-grown strawberries taste better, and contain 30% more vitamin C than supermarket strawberries.

Agricool was founded in 2015 by two farmers’ sons, Guillaume Fourdinier and Gonzague Gru, with the aim to “feed the planet with tasty fruits and vegetables that have taste, grown without pesticides and produced locally“. 

Guillaume Fourdinier and Gonzague Gru said: “As we’re both sons of farmers, our childhoods were full of excellent fruits and vegetables. When we moved to the city, we didn’t want to lose the ability to eat great food. That’s why we invented a system that lets us grow tasty fruits and vegetables locally and without pesticides, at a price that everyone can afford.”

Agricool have plans to produce all kinds of fruits and vegetables in large cities all over the world. This year Agicool will install five new containers in the Paris region, and plans to launch 100 in France and Dubai by 2021. The startup also plans to hire 200 new people in the next two years.

Agricool

Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about sustainable lifestyle and green living for publications, and offers content services to planet-friendly businesses. Find out more at Rosamedea.com