Meet the producers: Pure Harvest Smart Farms and their tomatoes

When and why was Pure Harvest Smart Farms established?

We built our first hi-tech greenhouse in 2018, which is spread across 6,500 square metres. The company’s founders – Sky Kurtz, Mahmoud Adi and Robert Kupstas – main goal is to provide fresh, high-quality produce to consumers in the UAE as an alternative to imported food. We are currently building more greenhouses in the UAE and will soon begin construction in Saudi Arabia.

Is your produce organic?

No. Organic farming means growing crops in the ground. We don’t grow in the ground as we don’t consider it to be a sustainable method of farming. Firstly, water consumption is difficult to control in organic farming. Our greenhouse has a closed system so any excess water is collected, disinfected and reused. Secondly, organic production produces lower yields with the same amount of energy and water that we consume in our production process.

Where do you get your seeds from?

At present we use tomato seeds from eight seed companies around the world. Each company usually has its own speciality and we select a few varieties based on certain criterion that we have in place.

You mentioned that the plants aren’t grown in soil. What’s the growing medium used in the greenhouse?

It is called rockwool and it is made from a type of volcanic stone. The stone is heated to 2,000°C, which changes it to a kind of sponge. Rockwool is a substrate for the plants’ roots to grow in. We provide the plants with nutrient rich water using a hydroponic system, which is a method of growing plants without soil.

Tell us about the variety of Pure Harvest tomatoes that can be found at Spinneys.

We offer cherry tomatoes on the vine, mixed candy tomatoes, big tomatoes on the vine, pink beef tomatoes and heirloom tomatoes also known as grandmother’s tomatoes. Soon we will be supplying cocktail tomatoes that are shaped like strawberries, as well as a special tomato called Yoom, which is full of antioxidants and carotene. It’s proven to have several health benefits.

How long does it take for the plants to mature?

From sowing, that is, putting the seeds in the substrate till the time for planting takes around five weeks. From planting to first harvest is around nine weeks. But we manage to produce tomatoes year round by interplanting. That means we sow young plants in between the old plants so they can continue to grow while we harvest the mature crop.

What are some of the challenges of growing tomatoes?

Understanding the plant is the biggest challenge. Figuring out the optimal temperature, humidity, amount of water and nutrients is crucial. We don’t want the plant to produce too many leaves or fruit so that’s the daily challenge. Beside that, we had to learn how to grow in the desert and every type of tomato has its own requirements.

Are there plans to grow other types of fruit and vegetables in the future?

We will expand to produce leafy greens such as baby spinach and arugula. We’re currently doing trials with strawberries. Our aim is to eventually grow different vegetables such as eggplants, cucumbers, bell peppers and other kinds of berries.

What is the current capacity?

At the moment with the mix of all the tomatoes, we produce around 10,000kg every week.

What are the other sustainable practices implemented by Pure Harvest?

Our crop protection is biological. We use bumble bees for pollination and beneficial insects to fight harmful insects so that the use of pesticides is kept to a minimum. The cooling system in the greenhouse allows us to collect condensation water, which we also use for irrigation. As per our calculations we’re already seven times more efficient than local farms. In Saudi Arabia, we will build a solar plant to provide electricity in the greenhouse. Pure Harvest will continually look at ways to become more and more energy efficient.

Are there plans to supply to markets outside the UAE?

For the time being, we will continue to expand in the biggest markets in the region, which are the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The company’s aim is to offer a premium product that is equal to or better than the produce coming out of Europe, but at lower prices. At the same time we will be competing with the produce from this region by supplying better products with comparable prices. We are also looking at expanding into neighbouring GCC countries in the near future.