Grow Up FARM launched Eat-Grow-Repeat, small pea plants that grow in a SchurStar bag. The upper section rips off to turn the bag into a pot that can grow in window light or the refrigerator for a week, resulting in pea sprouts that can be cut and eaten. The bag is made of PE, a single-layer material that does not require separation for processing in recycling systems and contents of the bag are 100% compostable.

The Eat-Grow-Repeat project uses pea plants grown without soil on five stories of an artificially lit greenhouse with a completely controlled climate and recirculated water. The company says the SchurStar Packaging Machine was initially planned for packing the bean sprouts into resealable bags to help consumers retain crispness for up to eight days and reduce food waste. Bean sprouts are typically packed in a tray and flow wrapped; causing leftover sprouts to be repacked after each use.  

”Bean sprouts are our core product, for which we chose the SchurStar concept,” says Lasse Vilmar, CEO of Greenow and Grow Up FARM. “Because of the versatility of the packaging machine and its high capacity, we decided to speed up the new Eat-Grow-Repeat project. When starting up a new project, flexibility is of the utmost importance, as you must be able to quickly adapt to market reactions.”

The SchurStar Packaging Machine offers a rectangular fill opening that covers the entire width of the bag, ideal for filling light and unevenly shaped products such as produce, bean sprouts or small pea plants.

“Now we can change from a fully automatic to a manual packing process in a few minutes; like if we want to pack meal salads with different elements. Also in terms of bag constructions, we are not at all limited to the two bag types that we started up with. We are excited about the new flexibility and the many options, and we feel convinced that the market will welcome our novelties: healthy and tasty produce in convenient packaging,” says Vilmar.

For more information visit www.schur.com and www.growupfarm.dk.