ICA MAXI Högskolan
Högskolan, Sweden
No. of farms: Three
Business Model: Grocery store owned & operated
Area served: Högskolan, Sweden
Main crops: Mixed lettuce
About ICA Maxi
ICA Gruppen is one of the Nordic region’s main players in grocery retail, with 2,079 stores and pharmacies. With a focus on food and health, ICA Gruppen believes it has the responsibility and opportunity to focus on climate-conscious operations. The group is committed to community engagement and sustainability to drive long-term success. Adding a Freight Farms container to the Högskolan store location is a first step in the company’s plan to create year-round local food options in the Nordic climate. The farm is operated by two ICA employees, and fresh greens are delivered directly to the store, which is just steps away.
“Freight Farms’ technology is especially helpful in Sweden, where our short growing seasons can limit crop availability throughout the year and increase our reliance on imported produce.”
See the container farm installed on site
For ICA MAXI, the major draw of adding a hydroponic container farm to their operations was to have it directly on site where shoppers could see the farm as they walked in, and the farmers could deliver on foot. The farm’s design made it easy to install: the container travels easily by boat and truck.
@icamaxihogskolan
ICA MAXI HÖGSKOLAN in the news
An onsite container farm right at the grocery store makes a splash! With retailers like IKEA and Kroger investing in hydroponic food production, the industry trend is clear!
Swedish Grocery Store Grows Produce On-site with Freight Farms
Integrate farm-to-table into your wholesale and retail operations.
Local food is more than a passing trend: the local food market is slated to hit $20B by 2020 and sixty percent of shoppers report high interest in the local options at their grocery store. However, with local fresh food options limited by season, urbanization, and distance from the farm, hydroponic container farming is emerging as a foolproof way to supply local food year-round.
Helpful Guides
Understand the Trends
Local, hyperlocal, organic, CNG…the labels on our produce are getting more and more descriptive, yet few people know exactly what these terms are.
Grocery Stores in the COVID-19 Era
In Spring 2020, the novel coronavirus left shelves empty and shoppers frustrated. With the pandemic exacerbating existing issues in our food system, we explore how we can build a more resilient one in the future.
Read How the Industry Can Build Resiliency
Serve Food-safe Options
Lucky for us, the food system is slowly changing (too slowly), so that when E.coli strikes some lucky consumers can turn to small-scale indoor farmers in their area for salad greens that are not only safe, but also very tasty.
How to Sell E. Coli-free Lettuce
Grow Unique Crops
We’ve gathered 10 vegetables the typical grocer store doesn’t sell (but probably should). These unique crops are just a few of the hundreds that grow in the Greenery™.
Get in touch
We would love to hear from you about your farming project. Contact us for customized information tailored for your unique needs.