Steven & Richard: The Vertical Farmers

"At 7,000 square feet, the tunnels once had the capacity to accommodate up to 8,000 people from the bombing of WWII, but today we work in a controlled environment which is home to trays of lush produce which can be picked, packed and on your plate in as little as four hours.

"Our team of 24 grow around 20 different types of greens to choose from including broccoli, pea shoots, rocket, red mustard, pink stem radish, garlic chives, fennel and coriander.

"Growing Underground uses hydroponics, a system where plants are grown without soil and with the help of low-energy LED lights.

"This allows each crop to grow in a carefully controlled, pest-free environment, and the farmers to produce plants of consistent quality, regardless of the whether the city above is being graced with blazing sunshine or pelted with relentless rain.

"Our produce is now stocked in major supermarkets and used by top chefs and we work closely with Michel Roux Jr, who has been named a non-executive director of the company.

"The business now sells to local restaurants including Mr Roux’s Michelin-starred celebrity haunt, Le Gavroche in Mayfair, as well as other food service outlets and retailers such as Marks & Spencer and Waitrose.

"Looking to the future we will make further use of the of the abandoned tunnel spaces and will incorporate a Research and Development area. This area will allow us to improve our harvests, their nutrition and the days under light they need.

Did you know?

Steven Dring and Richard Ballard were named in the Evening Standard Progress 1000: London’s Top Leaders in Technology

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