Plantvation Secures Major Contract – Delivering Facility to Canada
After years of development, Plantvation in Essvik, south of Sundsvall in Northern Sweden, has taken a major step onto the international stage. The company has signed a deal with a customer in Canada – the biggest contract in its history.
The Montreal facility will be the first to use Plantvation's technology for large-scale vegetable seedling production. Under the strategic partnership, Plantvation will provide the core technology behind the customer's plans to establish plant factories across North America. The next site is already planned for California.
“This is an important milestone for us, both as a technology supplier and as a company. Establishing a reference project in North America while also expanding into vegetables is a huge step,” says Johanna Westman, CEO of Plantvation.
The company's technology is built on decades of history. In the mid-1980s, Johanna's grandparents ran a company growing lettuce and herbs in closed cultivation systems, using technology originally developed for a NASA space project. For 20 years, vegetables were produced, but in recent years the system has been refined to focus on seedling production for both forestry and vegetable crops.
A Complementary Technology
Plantvation was established as a separate company in 2019 to further develop and commercialize the technology under the product name QS Greenbox. The system is fully digitally controlled – from light and temperature to humidity – enabling growers to produce strong, uniform seedlings regardless of season or external conditions.
“Our technology doesn't replace existing methods – it complements them. It can be used alongside greenhouses, vertical farms, or open fields, giving plants a stronger start. Especially with climate change, being able to control the growing environment is more important than ever,” says Johanna.
Plantvation's technology complements existing methods and can be combined with, for example, greenhouses or vertical farming
Backed by Investors
Since its launch, Plantvation has delivered several key projects, including for SCA, a customer in Chile, and another in Canada. Holmen Skog has also been using the technology for some time. Since 2022, the company has raised around SEK 10 million in external funding, supporting both further technology development and new customer partnerships.
Alongside the large-scale QS Greenbox, the company has developed a smaller unit – QS GreenBox Innovation – designed to let new customers test the system on a small scale before committing to larger investments, as well as serving as an R&D platform. This has helped lower the entry threshold and shorten sales cycles, which had previously been one of the company's biggest challenges.
50 Million Seedlings a Year
The agreement with the Canadian customer includes two turnkey growing modules, each 100 square meters and six meters high, with an annual capacity of 50 million seedlings. The facility is scheduled for completion in summer 2026. The project represents both new opportunities and new demands for Plantvation – particularly in terms of delivery capacity and international project management.
“We are still a small team and have worked a lot with project-based staff and consultants. Now we see the chance to build a stronger core team and expand our presence in multiple markets. The market for this technology is really starting to mature,” says Johanna.
For her, the vegetable focus is also personal.
“I grew up in that environment. It feels wonderful to see the technology being used for vegetables again – but this time in a new form, with new opportunities.”
Click here to read more about Plantvation!
Photo: Maja Sundqvist