Crate To Plate

Summary

Crate to Plate brings sustainable, local production of leafy greens to urban communities. Growing their produce using hydroponic and aeroponic tech, they’re able to sell to restaurants, stores, and D2C – offering greens, grown locally, using zero pesticides and up to 95% less water than traditional means.

• 70%+ of UK vegetables are imported several days after harvest
• Our greens are fresher, pesticide-free, and grown using up to 95% less water
• Customers include Michelin star restaurants like Hide
• Scalable business model – enabled by partnered technology

Idea

At Crate to Plate, we believe that consumers in cities should be able to buy higher quality food, free of any pesticides, which hasn’t been shipped from thousands of miles away, to be consumed a week after harvest.

In the UK, more than 70% of fruit and vegetables consumed are imported (particularly outside the summer months). Importing produce creates a larger carbon footprint than purchasing local produce and the products consumed are often not as fresh.

So, we set up our first urban hydroponic farms in London in 2020 to offer consumers a wide range of super fresh lettuces, leafy greens and herbs, all delivered within 24 hours of harvest, all year round. Using state-of-the-art hydroponic and aeroponic technology, we grow our produce vertically in a controlled environment, using zero pesticides, up to 95% less water than traditional farming methods, and a fraction of the land. We then deliver by electric van – with zero carbon footprint from farm to customer – and use zero plastic packaging.

We now have more than 20 restaurants and grocery stores ordering from us weekly – including Hide, Sartoria, and Fortnum & Mason. In addition to this, we also sell at street markets, and online for home delivery, direct to the consumer.

We’re raising funding to expand our production capacity and to grow our ‘direct to consumer’ offering, introducing a subscription box delivery service.

Team

Sebastien Sainsbury – CEO

Extensive experience in investment banking and wealth management.

He has previously been a board member of a business in the food industry - Goodness Gracious Organic Baby Foods.

Passionate about changing the way we produce and consume food in this country, looking to solve issues of food security and wastage.

John Sticha – Head of Farming

Extensive farming and plant science experience, with the last 6 years in hydroponic systems.

Previously a Research Scientist, and held several positions at Knight Hollow Nursery, including aseptic micro-culture laboratory manager, greenhouse manager, shade and field plot manager.

Hugo Campbell-Davys – Head of Hospitality Relationships and PR (part-time)

Founder of Urbanologie, described by the Financial Times as ‘the must have VIP lifestyle app’, through which he has built strong relationships with restaurants.

Advisor and consultant to leading luxury brands and businesses via Urbanologie.

Daniel Tristao – CFO

Early stage investor with a background in technology and the coffee industry.

Previously ran a wholesale coffee trading business, and spent 7 years in investment banking, advising technology businesses on M&A.