Kroptek and Surexport have started working in collaboration on an exciting project to sustainably grow strawberries, with the ultimate goal to fast-forward the strawberry season by a full month with the best quality of fruit.
A mutually beneficial research project
This project is a mutually beneficial research agreement between the British and Spanish companies, with Kroptek providing its expertise on horticultural lighting to sustainably grow strawberries within Surexport’s brand-new state-of-the-art 1Ha greenhouse in Huelva, in the south of Spain.
Thanks to their advanced product development capabilities and agile manufacturing, Kroptek can deliver highly customised lighting solutions in a cost-effective manner. Surexport will be able to provide continuous feedback and propose adjustments in order to optimise the project setup and start harvesting delicious strawberries as early as the beginning of December.
“We’re eager to meet the needs of our customers and at the same time go ahead of the environmental standards. Kroptek gives us technical and material support to help us meet our goals and we’re excited to be partnering with them.” – Iván Pérez, Production Manager at Surexport
Testing the boundaries of sustainability
In addition to the high-performance and energy-efficient LED lights, solar panels were also installed to power the operation with clean electricity. This packaged solution was provided by Kroptek, with the help of a local partner.
It was important for both parties to evaluate the use of solar energy during the darker seasons in order to develop a commercially viable and environmentally sustainable solution as the project scales up.
With the ongoing and escalating energy crisis in many countries, Kroptek is actively developing solutions that reduce power consumption in agriculture and generate power using solar energy. Most recently, Kroptek won grants from Innovate UK along with academic and commercial partners to develop photovoltaic glasshouse panels with testing to start this winter.
About Surexport
Surexport is one of the largest berries producers in Spain, with additional production facilities in Portugal and Morocco. They sell most of their production in Northern Europe, with their main customer base being major UK retailers.
For more information about Surexport, visit surexport.es/en/