Les Serres de Bessières has commenced greenhouse production of its branded Tomates de Toulouse in the southern French city, utilising a heating system that employs energy left over from a neighbouring factory that repurposes household waste.
The machine should recuperate around 28,350 Mwh per year of leftover energy and sequester 1,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide through photosynthetic absorption, Végétable reported.
The first phase of the development has seen around €7m earmarked for 3ha of operations, including a packhouse. By the end of 2017, investments should apparently reach €16m for 10ha of greenhouses.
In addition to tomatoes, production of cucumbers is also in the pipeline, as is an open-field vegetable division.
Eventually, les Serres de Bessières aims to meet 22 per cent of the annual demand for fresh tomatoes in the urban area of Toulouse, and 25 per cent of the cucumber demand.
Marketed under the brand “Tomates de Toulouse', the products of les Serres de Bessières aim to win back the fresh vegetable market in the Toulouse area with premium products grown locally and responsibly.
The project was initiated by family company Fibaq, headed by Gilles Briffaud, a farmer and the president of les Serres de Bessières, and by Oubatimes, managed by Claude Domenget, director of les Serres de Bessières.
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