Kyoei Kogyo (President: Hisatoshi Uchida) has recently established a fully-closed plant cultivation factory named “AKARIE Vegetable Garden” in Mino City of Gifu Prefecture, and held a preview and celebration ceremony on May 26.　　

“AKARIE Vegetable Garden” is a two-storied steel-framed building having a total area of 3000 m2 on the building area of 1600 m2 (including a cultivating room of 780 m2). It is a plant cultivating factory in a completely closed space, where red and blue LED lamps are used instead of solar beam at an ambient temperature of 20℃,maintaining a concentration at 1000ppm with CO2 supply. A solution mixed with nutrients is supplied and there is also a fan to send wind to vegetables. The factory introduces Showa Denko’s “SHIGYO Unit” which is a totally supported high-speed LED cultivating system.

The cultivation line consisting of 13 lines of 8 shelves (1 line for 10 seedling shelves) is completely proceeded inside the factory throughout the routine of sowing, sprouting, growing and delivery. No entry into the cultivation room is allowed before taking air showers (three machines) in dedicated clothes. It takes 25 days at shortest from sowing to delivery. At first mainly lettuces like frill lettuce, sunny lettuce are delivered. It is characteristic that you can eat them as they are without washing in the form of leaves only, not roots. In autumn the company plans to deliver 3000 roots directly to hotels and restaurants. The number of employee is 20 at maximum. After the end of the previewing event the factory was sterilized and cultivation started from June 1.

In the celebrating party president Uchida of Kyoei Kogyo presented, saying “We have been engaged in the gas business for 65 years. For our enhancement in the future we have been searching for a new business during these years. While coming across various opportunities and encounters with people, we have found a way to tackle the business of vegetable factory.”