In a warehouse outside Phoenix, thousands of herbs and vegetables are growing in robot-powered bins, moving smoothly through a towering, Rubik’s Cube-like grid. This is Opollo Farm, a fully automated vertical farming system built by AutoStore and OnePointOne.
Robots move crops through a controlled environment, precisely adjusting their position to deliver the right balance of water and nutrients. The result? Harvest-ready greens in just 15 days — about half the time of traditional farming — and grown just miles from where they’re consumed.
“Traditional farming consumes vast amounts of water and land—resources that are becoming scarce,” said Sam Bertram, CEO of OnePointOne. The Avondale, Ariz.-based company was founded in 2017 and has raised $60 million to date.
“With AutoStore’s modular robotics and our plant-production technology, we can grow food almost anywhere using a fraction of those resources,” Bertram added. “This collaboration helps overcome the cost and scalability challenges of vertical farming, finally making locally grown produce—the number one priority for U.S. consumers—possible even in urban areas.”
Opollo Farm is designed to tackle some of the biggest challenges in agriculture today: labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, water scarcity, and the demand for fresher, locally grown food. The system is already up and running, supplying leafy greens and herbs to Whole Foods stores in the Phoenix area under the “Willo” brand.
“At Whole Foods Market, we’re constantly exploring new ways to bring fresh, sustainable food to our customers,” stated Chris Petroulakis, category merchant for produce at Whole Foods Market. “Opollo Farm is a perfect example of how advanced technology can revolutionize local agriculture, helping to deliver high-quality, locally grown produce right to our stores faster and fresher than ever before.”
Opollo Farm combines plants and robots
Plants are seeded automatically, then immediately transferred to the grid for germination, explained AutoStore and OnePointOne. Throughout their life, the plants move locations to receive optimal environmental conditions.
Farm. Source: AutoStore
The Opollo Farm is an integrated agricultural platform that combines automation, lighting, irrigation, and climate control (HVAC) for an optimized growing environment.
Robots travel along the top of the automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) to manage watering, while advanced software continuously monitors each plant’s status and adjusts conditions in real time.
Unlike traditional farms, the Opollo Farm operates entirely indoors, providing complete control over the plants’ environment. Its compact design allows it to be placed close to urban centers or co-located with distribution hubs, maximizing floor space and minimizing food miles.
When plants are ready to harvest, the robots bring each bin to the “Port,” the single entry/exit point for the grid, optimizing labor usage. These dynamic movements are at the heart of AutoStore’s technology, making farming faster, smarter, and more efficient. The companies claimed that automation enables Opollo Farm to operate efficiently around the clock, delivering consistent, high-quality harvests year-round.
Components of OnePointOne vertical farm
The partners described the elements of the Opollo Farm:
- Hydroponic growing system: Plants are grown in bins within a closed-loop system where water is recirculated, reducing water use by up to 95%, according to the companies.
- High-density cultivation: Plants are grown at the highest possible density, enabling farms to be built inside existing distribution centers. This shortens the supply chain by over 90%, said AutoStore and OnePointOne.
- Automated plant movement: Powered by AutoStore’s cube storage system, plants move autonomously throughout the facility. Each bin enters and exits the grid through a single Port, reducing labor requirements.
- Scalable architecture: Whether operating at small or large scale, Opollo Farm delivers consistent performance and can be expanded seamlessly to meet growing demand, the companies asserted.
- Controlled environment: The fully enclosed system protects crops from pests and contamination, eliminating the need for pesticides.
- Local supply chain: Proximity to urban centers allows for shorter supply chains and reduced transportation emissions.
Grow locally, think globally
“Opollo Farm shows what’s possible when proven automation meets global challenges like food supply resilience and sustainability,” said Parth Joshi, chief product officer at AutoStore. “Our work with OnePointOne highlights the versatility of AutoStore, moving and storing goods for everyone, everywhere, across diverse industries and use cases. From order fulfillment for leading brands to scaling urban farming, we’re enabling smarter, more resilient solutions.”
With a shared ambition to reimagine how fresh produce is grown and delivered in cities, AutoStore and OnePointOne are piloting the Opollo Farm, which is already producing fresh, pesticide-free greens and herbs with plans to scale and explore new crop varieties.
‘While not yet commercially available, the companies are evaluating opportunities to scale the system in urban environments.
