Leyton-grown basil to green up Pizza Pilgrims
A tie-up between a vertical farming start-up and cult favourite Pizza Pilgrims will see basil grown in east London livening up slices across the capital.
Pizza Pilgrims will now source their basil from Harvest, who operate two eco-friendly ‘farms’ in Leyton.
Harvest have created a bespoke basil-growing unit within their facility which will provide Pizza Pilgrims with the vital ingredient – saving around 250,000 food miles a year.
Read more: Harvest: Bring on the post-Brexit vertical farming revolution
The farming technique uses controlled temperatures, water levels and light to create the perfect growing environment for crops that otherwise would need to be sourced from abroad.
The farms use 95 per cent less water than traditional farms and take up far less space.
Pizza Pilgrims boss James Elliot told City A.M.: “Basil is our most used herb and we go through 82kgs a week, so by switching to local, vertical farming it’s had a huge impact on Pizza pilgrims’ carbon footprint.”
The firm hopes to expand its use of vertical farming operators in the future, meaning previously ‘seasonal’ ingredients could soon be available year-round.
Chris Davies, CEO of Harvest, said “Making our food system more sustainable is a major challenge for the UK. There is no one solution, but technology can give us greater control over what and how we grow in this country, and the impact it has on the environment.”
Harvest are currently fundraising for a 5,000 square metre ‘net zero’ farm, which would begin construction next year.