Kasveista UG is a Berlin-based seed company producing seeds and seedlings specifically for Vertical Farming and releasing them with an open-source license.

Introduction from Kasveista:

Making its first appearance in 2019 at the AberInnovations accelerator, this brainchild of founder and CEO Rosario Iacono has already been brewing for many years. From a farming background himself and with a PhD in biology, Iacono has first been introduced to the open-source community through the software world. Understanding that the grave food injustice in our world is also partly caused by costly proprietary licenses on seeds that bind the farmer to the conditions of the seed companies, Iacono connected the two realms and has been fighting for the idea ever since. This is why we work the way we do.

The needs of the farmer in his/her specific facility are at the core of everything we do.  Our open-source seeds are guaranteed for germinability, purity and absence of pathogens. Information on the optimal growth conditions in the most common controlled environment agriculture systems is included and further details about growth recipes and specific systems can be acquired as addons. Since the raising of seedlings is often the most delicate and cost-intensive stage of cultivation, Kasveista furthermore offers farmers to deliver seedlings just at the stage of first flowering which can be directly transplanted through our ‘plug & play’ system. Our consultancy can be accessed as an extra any time the farmer encounters any issues along the growing process of the plant.

On the question of what to grow, we offer a selection of different varieties of lettuces and herbs, according to the focus of the majority of vertical farms at the moment. On top of that, Kasveista directs its attention towards higher plants, starting with tomatoes. Being the number one import vegetable in Germany, tomatoes form a huge part of our diet and we believe that, for vertical farming to become a true alternative to field agriculture, we need to find a way through breeding and technology to accommodate for a wider range of crops indoors. Thus, Kasveista rethinks what a tomato is and can be, focussing our research efforts on determinate growth types thriving in a controlled environment. Currently, in the R&D phase, we are actively looking for investors to make our vision of providing high-quality, fair, open-source seeds and seedlings around the globe a near reality.