Frozen food producer McCain Foods has invested an amount reported by Entrevestor to be C$30m ($24m) in TruLeaf Sustainable Agriculture, the Canada-based owner of indoor farm operator GoodLeaf Farms.
GoodLeaf has built a 45,000-square foot facility in the province of Ontario where it uses automation technology to grow foods such as kale, radish, rocket and pea shoots.
McCain said it has now provided a total of C$65m for the company but has not revealed details of its earlier investment.
Barry Murchie, GoodLeaf’s CEO, said: “We want to be a global leader in vertical farming. Our first step to accomplishing that is ensuring we have a strong footprint in Canada, giving Canadians access to top quality, nutrient-dense, sustainably grown and pesticide-free leafy greens 365 days a year.”
The deal is McCain’s second in Canada in as many months. It made a “significant investment” in Fiddlehead Technology, company helping food and beverage companies use predictive forecasting to improve performance, last month.
The corporate now has a “significant minority stake” in Fiddlehead after acquiring shares from venture capital backers Build Ventures, New Brunswick Innovation Foundation and East Valley Ventures. Fiddlehead had previously raised $1.8m in April 2016.
