Article by Carson Powell | Poole College of Management News
Daniel Malechuk ’03 is the CEO of Kalera, a vertical farming company based in Orlando, Florida, who is changing the way we look at farming. Kalera adopted cleanroom technology where produce is grown indoors in white towers of trays with controlled temperature, light and humidity.
“When you walk in it’s racking from floor to ceiling with multiple layers of plants,” said Malechuk. “We’re 100 times more efficient than traditional farming, and we use five percent of the water.”
Not only does Kalera cut down water usage, it limits its carbon footprint by being close to markets and eliminates pesticides and soil from the growing process. Malechuk opened a 33,000-square-foot facility in Florida in February, making it the largest indoor growing center in the southeastern United States.
Malechuk is a graduate of the Poole College of Management and received his Bachelor of Science in business management in 2003. He was also a Park Scholar during his time at NC State.
Read more on Forbes.
This article originally appeared on Poole College of Management News.