The Agriculture of the Future: Born on the 5th Floor in Tel Aviv

In a quiet corner of an industrial building in Tel Aviv, Israeli scientists and technologists have transformed freshwater lentils into a convenient, tasty and ready-to-eat food. In a blue-and-white innovation that could transform dietary habits worldwide, they have preserved its freshness and nutritional value while revolutionizing its accessibility, efficiently and cost-effectively. The developer of this cutting-edge agricultural platform is GreenOnyx, whose vision is to make fresh vegetables, essential to human health, a daily staple for all. "We haven't changed the vegetable, we've changed the way it reaches the plate," says company founder, Dr. Tsipi Shoham

Forty years of clinical studies leave no doubt that a diet rich in fresh vegetables saves lives. The link between lack of fresh dietary vegetables and early death from diseases like cancer and heart disease is clear. By fully embracing World Health Organization guidelines concerning fresh vegetables, that risk could slashed by nearly half.

"As a cancer immunotherapy researcher, who's lived and breathed the immune system for years, I realized that the way to fight disease starts not in the hospital but on the plate," says Dr. Tsipi Shoham, founder and CEO of GreenOnyx.

She spearheaded the creation of this company whose groundbreaking approach makes fresh vegetables accessible and enjoyable for everyone, every day, while ensuring food security for all."The data show that eight out of ten people consume insufficient fresh green vegetables because of time and hassle," says GreenOnyx CRO Ben Kidron. "Vegetables need to be washed and cut, not everyone likes their taste, and their shelf life is very short."

"There's greater awareness of the importance of incorporating more fresh leafy greens into the daily menu, but in practice, most of us succumb to the always available processed food," says Dr. Shemesh. "To return freshness to the plate, we needed a vegetable that's ready to eat - something as easy as grabbing a yogurt. We looked for a food that doesn't take us out of our comfort zone, that's a 'team player,' easily integrated into any meal be it a school sandwich, a family pasta or simply spooning it from the package."

A Hero of Nature

GreenOnyx's success story began with phytonutrients, the nutritional values in fresh vegetables that nourish and protect the body's systems, and led it to a small, unfamiliar, green superhero, the freshwater lentil.A tiny aquatic plant traditionally eaten in Southeast Asia, it is regarded as one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables, packed with phytonutrients that include antioxidants, anti-inflammatory components, essential minerals like iron, zinc, potassium, vitamins A and K, omega-3 and more.

"The strains we grow are natural, neither improved nor genetically engineered, and our vegetables have a fresh, delicate taste, a pleasant texture and a unique appearance," says Dr. Shemesh. "We were first to bring it to the global fresh market. Leading chefs are calling it 'vegan caviar.'"

Quantum Farming: How Wanna Greens^®, a New Category of Fresh Vegetable, Was Born

To provide fresh, high-quality vegetables with the convenience and ease of ready-to-eat foods, GreenOnyx had to reinvent the wheel. The outcome was a revolutionary growing platform, marking a new category of controlled agriculture: Quantum Farming or QFarming®, which is controlled, consistent and resilient cultivation on a commercial scale.
The model is based on nature's principle of expansion - multiplying small, uniform and coordinated quantum units rather than enlarging the growing space, as in standard agriculture. QFarming thus relies on small, optimal, synchronized growing units (quantum cultivation cells), which can be precisely replicated and integrated into a modular, automated, closed, sterile, controlled growing system. This ensures full control over environmental conditions, reduces risk and maintains uniformity, yield, safety and quality. The modules are structured in a flexible, Lego-like format, allowing for quick installation and easy adaptation to available space. QFarming technology supports pesticide-free cultivation with complete environmental control, year-round. It is highly efficient in resource use, can be established in any building regardless of geographic location, and is ideal for local marketing and ensuring sustainable food security.
QFarming freshwater lentils, marketed as Wanna Greens®, are whole, fresh and ready-to-eat straight from the package - no washing, cutting or preparation required. This is a completely new consumer experience: fresh vegetables as if from the field, with the convenience of a shelf-stable product. Combining science, technology and nature, GreenOnyx is reinventing the way fresh vegetables reach the plate and changing the global nutrition game.

"Our focus was creating a fully closed and sterile agrotechnology, from seed propagation all the way to packaging," explains Kidron. "The sterility of the packaged fresh product is essential. By ensuring that it's not exposed to fungi, bacteria or any other organisms, we eliminate decay risks and extend its shelf life to several weeks."
Following years of development and a long list of patents, this initiative culminated in the creation of the world's first-of-its-kind QFarming farm, and the cultivation of fresh superfood greens - Wanna Greens. With no need for soil or reliance on climate, such a farm can be set up in any city anywhere. GreenOnyx's innovative farm is, surprisingly, located on the fifth floor of a building in an industrial area of Tel Aviv, an unlikely place indeed for growing the world's cleanest vegetables in the world.

Unprecedented Operational Efficiency: Energy and Labor Savings

Wanna Greens is the fastest-growing vegetable in the world, doubling in size every two to three days. With an extraordinary yield of a ton of vegetables per square meter annually, it achieves 25 to 160 times the efficiency of hydroponic or open-field farming. Compared with other forms of closed agriculture, QFarming reduces energy usage by a factor of 3, labor costs by 3.5 and growing area by 3, while halving equipment costs.

Smart sensors track the entire growing process, enabling an autonomous system that operates with closed-loop control. By continuously collecting data from the crop and integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning, the system not only predicts outcomes with precision but also drives ongoing improvements and optimizations in real-time. In short, this is agriculture that already embraces the principles of Industry 5.0.

GreenOnyx and the World

Along with technological advances, GreenOnyx has addressed business and marketing initiatives. Over the years, several prominent investors and partners have come on board. They include notable figures such as Prof. Shimon Ullman (co-founder of Orbotech), Prof. Ruth Arnon (inventor of Copaxone), Dr. Gideon Stein (chief scientist at Mobileye), Maj. Gen. (res.) Amiram Levin, Kalman Shaham (Altschuler Shaham), Aharon Fogel (former chairman of Migdal and IDB) and the Villar Group. Kibbutz Magal has entered into a memorandum of understanding with GreenOnyx for strategic collaboration, and more recently, the Granot Group, a major player in Israeli agriculture, has joined as a strategic partner.

Ruti Broudo, a household name in Israeli cuisine, is more commonly seen in culinary columns than in business sections. The undisputed queen of Israeli gastronomy brought her R2M Group as a strategic investor in GreenOnyx, and Wanna Greens is now found in her Delicatessen's deli offerings and featured in her group's catering menus. The product is marketed as a co-branded partnership with Delicatessen, bringing together high culinary quality, daily freshness and modern health.

"Our goal is simple yet ambitious: to make nature accessible to everyone," concludes Kidron. "We leverage advanced technology not to alter nature but to preserve it and make it available to everyone. At the same time, we're driving a fundamental transformation in agriculture - shifting it from a project-based approach to a stable, measurable and predictable production system, thereby expanding the limits of the current market."

Why is Consuming Green Vegetables Important?

We are increasingly aware of the growing global issue of diets lacking in microelements, a deficiency that is linked to the rise of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, mood disorders and depression.

Our immune system relies on external sources from our food. These essential components, known as phytonutrients, help balance the body and prevent disease. By eating fresh green vegetables, we strengthen our body's defense systems and supply the vital vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, dietary fiber and varied molecules that encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria (a process known as prebiotic).

What is the recommended daily intake of green vegetables?

Health organizations worldwide recommend that adults consume a minimum of 50 grams of fresh green vegetables daily (100 grams is preferred, 200 grams is optimal). Studies show that 20 percent of adults meet the minimum daily requirement,and 80 percent fall short. For perspective, the average consumption of green vegetables in the US is just 7 grams a day.

‍Source: Delicatessen website

In collaboration with GreenOnyx

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