Limagrain and VIF Systems join forces for a complementary agricultural project

Limagrain finalizes its partnership with VIF Systems, which began in 2022, by acquiring a 25% stake in the company's capital.

This is the second round of financing for VIF Systems, which in 2022 carried out an initial seed round with the Letus Private Office family office. The two companies aim to roll out an innovative technology for the agricultural sector in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. This will enable farmers to diversify their activities and generate additional income, freeing them from seasonal and climatic hazards.

Founded in 2021 in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, VIF Systems (Vertical Innovative Farming) is a major French player in vertical farm equipment combining technical, digital and economic innovation for the production of seedlings in a controlled environment.

The company was born of the desire to offer a virtuous solution for the environment, through a vertical farming model that overcomes climatic constraints and guarantees homogeneous, regular production. VIF Systems imagines the contours of tomorrow's agriculture: plant production that is economical in terms of surface area, not dependent on soil quality, pesticide-free, with no discharge into the environment, economical in terms of water and resources, for healthy food, rich in nutritional and taste qualities.

In concrete terms, VIF Systems is providing vertical culture containers for semi-industrial production, using vertical hydroponics. Through this partnership, containers will be installed on the premises of farmers who are members of the Limagrain Cooperative, enabling them to develop and secure a new activity. Once mature, the micro-pods will be purchased from farmers by VIF Systems, before being sold to catering establishments (the Cafés, Hôtels, Restaurants distribution channel) and chefs throughout France. VIF Systems promotes cooperation between players across the entire chain - from production to catering, processing and distribution - within a model that aims to be both sustainable and virtuous.

For Limagrain, this partnership will ensure the long-term future of the family farming model specific to the Limagne-Val d'Allier region (Auvergne), while fitting in with its strategy of developing new value chains. Genuine industrial short circuits, these channels provide the Cooperative's farmer-members with high value-added outlets. They contribute to the sustainability of farms, and to the dynamism and attractiveness of the region, making it a center of agricultural excellence.