Food & Beverage

Should pizzerias grow toppings onsite?

Pizza restaurants that grow their own toppings on-site are few and far between, but one company believes its not only possible but cost-effective.

Can pizzerias feasibly grow their own toppings on-site? (Photo: iStock)

February 25, 2021

Imagine a day when heading to your nearest pizzeria comes with the expectation that the spinach or herbs topping your pie were cut fresh from the store's onsite mini-farm.

Now, I'm not speaking here of higher-end restaurant brands, but everyday pizza places and QSRs with value-based offerings that an average person can afford.

Think it sounds far-fetched? Too expensive? Completely unfeasible?

The people at one provider of such in-restaurant growing platforms, Vertical Fields, disagreed. The 15-year-old company provides "active living walls" designed to fit into the confines of a traditional restaurant space as well as ghost kitchens, according to Crystal Clifford, the company's director of U.S. Sales, who recently chatted with Pizza Marketplace about why more value-based restaurant brands are exploring a partnership with the Israeli -based business.

A Vertical Fields store operation for harvesting plants on-site. (Photo: Provided)

Q: What kinds of interest have you had from foodservice generally and fast food and pizza brands, more specifically?
A:We have had interest from the foodservice sector, particularly from restaurants, both from fine dining chefs as well as fast casual concepts. Additionally, we have had interest from Universities, hotel establishments, and healthcare facilities to name a few. Our farms are capable of growing a variety of baby leafy greens, fresh herbs, mushrooms and strawberries. …

Most of the interest in foodservice comes from the retail market such as supermarkets and restaurants. These retailers are interested in our pesticide-free produce -- products such as lettuce varieties, kale, mint, basil and other herbs. … We have had interest from a national burger chain for our specialty greens, year-round, in their salad menu offering. … (The pizza restaurant sector) has not yet been a targeted focus for our initial U.S. launch, but we believe our farming operation can be utilized in various business models around foodservice. Theoretically this includes the ability to fit the needs of pizza restaurant brands that may have a regionalized central kitchen commissary where the fresh product can be grown and then distributed to the stores with other items already consolidated at a central kitchen or distribution center.

Q: What are the cost benefits of growing on-site like this?
A:One of the key benefits we can offer a restaurant group is an essentially fixed cost per unit for a given commodity. Fresh produce prices from traditional sources fluctuate with the season. Traditional produce prices can shift daily, with changing market factors such as the weather, and transportation freight costs, depending on how far the product has to travel from the growing region.

Because Vertical Field grows in a controlled contained environment, we can offer quality fresh produce products at a steady price year-round, thus eliminating that unknown. … Growing food on-site minimizes transportation and distribution costs associated with the supply chain, as well as food inventory losses. An establishment, for example, can grow the precise quantities of produce that meets their consumers demands without overproducing. Therefore … there are a number of financial benefits.

Q: Do you really think this could become a reality at U.S. fast food restaurants however, in the not-too-distant future?
A: Absolutely. Conscious consumers are increasingly interested in transparency regarding where their food comes from, including from fast food concepts. We continue to see trends towards sustainability and locally sourced fresh food products. Vertical Fields on-premise farming solution fits right in line with that demand in a way that benefits the operator and the consumer.

Vertical Field uses controlled environment agriculture, which means that produce is grown indoors in precise conditions. This speeds up the growth time of produce to an average of 21 days from planting to harvest. So in this regard, yes, vertical farming can fit within the framework of fast food. Furthermore, many of the leafy greens and herbs we grow in our vertical farm do fit into the typical fast food menu -- lettuce varieties for hamburgers, basil for pizzas, cilantro for burritos, etc.

Q: As far as quick-service — whether they be in the pizza category or any other cuisine — what would you say is the single biggest reason for a brand leader to "think twice" about this type of offering in their stores' futures?
A: Our farming platform offers a unique customer allure which can act as a differentiator for any QSR brand within this hyper competitive space. Most QSR's have a very heavy carbon footprint —they sell animal-related products that are typically not local. On-site produce helps create a new story around some of their food: local, healthy, low environmental footprint —specifically since our produce is pesticide-free.