Walmart to add vertically farmed produce in West Coast stores later this year

Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Walmart announced Tuesday that it's made an investment in vertical farming company Plenty and plans to carry products from the startup in stores on the West Coast later this year.

San Francisco-based Plenty specializes in growing produce in stacked layers indoors and is part of an industry that's growing in popularity.

Walmart didn't specify the size of the investment, but said it's part of Plenty's $400 million fundraising effort.

Plenty's mission is part of an industry-wide effort to farm fresh products, reduce waste and increase sustainability.

"Together, Walmart and Plenty will work collaboratively to create a new, market-leading product category in vertical farming by delivering the freshness and quality that Walmart customers expect, year-round," Walmart said in a statement Tuesday.

"Walmart is the first large U.S. retailer to significantly invest in vertical farming."

The company said the agreement will allow it to source produce for all California Walmart locations from a Plenty farm in Southern California. The products will be available in California stores later this year, Walmart said.