Validation of the business and customized development of Optima Planta´s Cultivation System

Important results from the project

The overall purpose of the project has been to understand the customer needs in detail and to get the first paying customers and verify the business idea. We have accomplished this by a pilot grower starting a growth facility in Uppsala, whereby we have been able to further develop our concept, hardware, software and end product (herbs).

Expected long term effects

The result of the project has been a more customised concept when it comes to processes, hardware, software and end product. Expected effects are a greater demand from grocery stores to buy the end product, as well as from the end consumer, as well as smoother and more profitable work for the grower. In the long run, our concept will enable rapid expansion that will result in more sustainable cultivation of crops with, for example, lower water consumption, decentralised cultivation, crops without pesticides, fresh produce all year round and reduced transport emissions.

Approach and implementation

The project has been carried out largely according to plan, with a focus on validation of the business model and customer-driven development of the product, this through a close collaboration with the pilot grower in Uppsala. It has taken longer than expected to get the pilot plant up and running, due to manual hardware updates, but these revisions and the collaboration we have now developed with production partners, have provided both a better and more user-friendly product and faster scaling opportunities.