Emirates Flight Catering, one of the world’s largest catering operations, has fully acquired Emirates Bustanica, formerly called Emirates Crop One, and its consumer brand Bustanica, the world’s largest indoor vertical farm.
This strategic move establishes Emirates Bustanica as a fully UAE-owned company, helping sustain the country’s vision of enhancing food and water security and its agricultural capabilities. The acquisition empowers Emirates Bustanica to leverage its local expertise and the latest tech know-how to meet the growing demands of the market.
Located near Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, Bustanica’s 330,000 sq ft facility has the capacity to grow more than 1 million kilograms of exceptional quality leafy greens a year, equivalent to 3 tonnes daily, while using 95 per cent less water than conventional agriculture.
Operating under the brand name Bustanica, the produce is available across all major retailers in the UAE such as Spinney’s, Waitrose, Carrefour and Choithrams. Customers on Emirates and other airlines enjoy this farm-fresh produce in their salads and meals.
Bustanica produces a variety of lettuce, spinach, parsley, and kale – all without pesticides or herbicides, and is 100 per cent clean, fresh and nutrient-rich. It is driven by powerful technology – machine learning, artificial intelligence and other patented technologies – and a highly specialised in-house team that includes agronomy experts, engineers, horticulturists, and plant scientists.
More recently, Emirates Bustanica was a preferred produce supplier for COP28, a recognition of its commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.