Montréal, Québec, Canada, April 20, 2021 – After the successful harvest of the first greenhouse crop of winter-produced peppers using LED lighting technology in Canada, Sollum Technologies is pleased to announce an agreement for the expansion of its smart lighting solution in Allegro Acres’ facilities. In addition to the initial four acres of greenhouse LEDs installed in 2020, Allegro Acres is deploying Sollum’s unique LED lighting technology across an additional eight acres, bringing the total deployment to 12 acres.
The decision followed Allegro’s successful cultivation of red, yellow and orange commercial grade peppers during this past winter. During the first deployment, the grower took advantage of the flexibility offered by Sollum’s cloud-based SUN as a Service™ platform to experiment with different light recipes, compare yields and determine the best option for their production. According to Gene Ingratta, President of Allegro Acres: “Not only can we personalize the recipe, we can adjust our greenhouse lighting in real-time according to climate conditions and our observations of crop growth. By annualizing our pepper production, we realized that the possibilities afforded by Sollum’s technology are a game-changer for us. We look forward to increasing our production thanks to technology made in Canada, which will enable us to supply Canadians with fresh, locally grown peppers year-round. These are exciting times for Allegro.”
The Allegro Acres expansion represents a significant milestone for Sollum Technologies. “That Allegro Acres decided to increase the deployment of our technology after this winter’s first crops is a strong vote of confidence,” said Sollum CEO Louis Brun. “Sollum's approach and its smart LED lighting solution are unique, so it has been tremendous to work closely with Allegro and leverage their full potential at scale. We are proud to be contributing to the deseasonalization of production and this announcement is a big step toward the adoption of more sustainable food production practices. It contributes to increasing Canadian food autonomy and promotes local economies.”
This project is supported through the Greenhouse Competitiveness and Innovation Initiative, a cost-share program funded by the Ontario Government and delivered by the Agricultural Adaptation Council, on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).
About Sollum Technologies
Inspired by nature, Sollum Technologies was founded in 2015 to offer greenhouse producers the only smart LED lighting solution which dynamically recreates and modulates the full spectrum of the Sun’s natural light. The company is headquartered in Montréal (Québec, Canada), where its design, development, and manufacturing activities are concentrated. It works closely with its clients to create recipes adapted to each product, regardless of its native climate in the world and the location of the greenhouse. Sollum’s lighting solution thereby provides unparalleled value in terms of energy savings, productivity, and superior produce quality through a flexible, adaptive, and easy-to-use application, with great respect for the environment. It was awarded the Solar Impulse Foundation Efficient Solution Label granted to only 1000 technologies in the world. For more information, visit sollum.tech.
About Allegro Acres
Established in 1999, Allegro Acres is a family owned and operated greenhouse pepper production farm in Southwestern Ontario. Allegro prides itself on being an early adopter of innovative and sustainable greenhouse production practices. Over the years, Allegro has implemented a full water recirculation system, insect netting, a high pressure misting system, energy and black out screens and now a fully dynamic LED lighting system to supply customers with year round product. One of the core values at Allegro is employee wellbeing and promoting a team effort environment. For more information on Allegro Acres, please visit its grower profile on OGVG.
Contact:
Jenny Zammit - Marketing
+1.514.975.7308
