VIF SYSTEMS

This interview details VIF SYSTEMS, an indoor farming technology company based in France. The interview is with Philippe Audubert, Communications Director at VIF SYSTEMS.

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What is the origin story of the VIF SYSTEMS?

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VIF SYSTEMS was born after the demise in December 2020 of FUL Sas (Ferme Urbaine Lyonnais), a French pioneer in high-tech vertical farming. In this context, the new founders of VIF SYSTEMS were able to benefit from the experience and technology acquired by the staff.

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What are the biggest challenges facing the VIF SYSTEMS in the future?

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Our biggest challenges are :

• The extremely low financial cost of the ecological and environmental impact of oil and other fossil fuels penalizes "locally produced".

• Plants produced in confined spaces are still little-known. This calls for the creation of new channels. We need to do a great deal of evangelizing among industry professionals and consumers alike, to publicize the eco-responsible technology we have developed, and the benefits of the plants we produce.

• One of the challenges is also to gain political recognition for the existence and virtues of these new types of equipment. In this respect, the processes developed could receive aid for purchasers, simply by producing locally (drastically reducing the logistics chain), contributing to territorial autonomy, and reindustrializing our regions (creating local jobs and therefore local economic wealth).

• In traditionally agricultural countries, one of the major challenges is resistance to change. Technology can be frightening.

• In the face of growing ecological and environmental concerns, technological solutions for vertical farming that consume electricity can be seen as a headlong rush.

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What makes VIF SYSTEMS unique compared with its competitors?

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In terms of technology, Vif Systems develops simple processes that are inexpensive and robust, making them easy to adopt. You don't need an agricultural engineer to operate the units. Training and skills upgrading are quick and easy.

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In terms of installation and commissioning, these units require no complicated technical prerequisites. A flat slab and a connection to a water and electricity network do the trick on what can be a modest surface. The opportunities for installation are therefore numerous.

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The price of production modules makes this type of production tool affordable to a large number of people. The business model also makes our difference: farmers with little agricultural land can diversify their activity and develop a monthly income supplement (a revolution in itself in the agricultural world currently in place in Europe, for example).

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By working in small, modular units, we combine the idea of semi-industrial or even industrial production with a short supply chain. Production units are developed in close proximity to the need to reduce the logistics chain as much as possible and bring extra-fresh products to market (alive: a source of pleasure and health).

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What are the company's other relevant indicators (size of growth area, production quantity, team size, etc.)?

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VIF SYSTEMS is a very young company, founded in February 2021. It currently has 29 employees. Sales: €600,000 in 2021, €2m in 2022 and €4m in 2023. 12 containers were sold in France between the end of 2022 and the end of 2023.

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What are the VIF SYSTEMS's targets for 2024 and beyond?

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Sales forecast for 2024: €6m. We have 25 container pre-orders for 2024.

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How can people get in touch with you or find out more about the VIF SYSTEMS?

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Website: www.vif-systems.com ("contact"); https://fr.linkedin.com/company/vif-systems

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