Duckweed in the Spotlight of AgTech Breakthrough: GreenOnyx Named “Vertical Farming Company of the Year”
AgTech Breakthrough: The industry benchmark for AgTech excellence
Run by Tech Breakthrough, the AgTech Breakthrough Awards spotlight the top companies, technologies, and products shaping the future of agriculture and food. Each year the program reviews thousands of nominations and recognizes winners across categories such as indoor/vertical farming, farm management, AI/IoT, robotics, analytics and more. Winners include global leaders - for example Bayer’s E.L.Y. (AI-based AgTech Solution of the Year 2025) - underscoring the program’s role as a credible industry benchmark and visibility engine for top-tier innovators. Vertical farming promised climate-resilient, locally proximate production - less exposed to supply-chain shocks—with sharply lower logistics waste, water and fertilizer use, and cleaner, traceable, pesticide-free produce.
A funding surge from 2016–2021 built ambitious facilities; backed by blue-chip investors, the sector raised billions. Since late-2022, however, lagging unit economics have driven bankruptcies, restructurings, and strategic pivots. Yet the need - reliable local supply of fresh food - has not gone away. The next chapter must prioritize (i) new crops that fit verticle farming economics (clear competitive advantages and reduced shrinkage), (ii) technology engineered for cost and resource efficiency, and (iii) disciplined, resilient go-to-market and capital structures. QFarming® resets the bar by pairing duckweed, the optimal crop selection, with a novel CEA platform design: a closed, seed-to-pack, sterile system purpose-built to deliver high throughput, long-shelf-life and ready-to-eat, nutrient-dense freshness. This award recognizes a credible path from resilient local production to viable per-kg economics - so vertical farming can finally scale.
Duckweed – the emerhing hero crop for verticle farming
Duckweed brings a rare combination that makes it an ideal emerging crop for closed, controlled vertical systems: Ultra-rapid growth & continuous harvestability (short doubling times, high harvest index); Tiny, uniform plants that suit sterile, modular processing with minimal waste. Resource efficiency at very small footprint; a new procude category with mild, neutral taste that integrates seamlessly into everyday meals - key for mainstream adoption. These traits directly attack cost, throughput and shrink - the levers that make or break indoor-farming economics.
Economics that Work: From Platform to Plate — QFarming® → Wanna Greens®
GreenOnyx’s QFarming® turns duckweed’s biological advantages into a consumer-ready fresh vegetable at scale. The closed, sterile, automated system delivers year-round, local production and reaches consumers as Wanna Greens® - fresh Wolffia that needs no washing or prep, has a delicate flavor that blends into any dish, and offers extended freshness. It is outstanding in nutrient density, delivering a high concentration of essential nutrients while minimizing antinutrients and nutrients recommended to limit.
The QFarming® process is 100% seed-to-pack in a sterile environment, biomimicking Wolffia’s native conditions to maximize growth efficiency. The result is high output in minimal space, with significantly less water and lower energy than other CEA setups. That combination - higher throughput with lower resource use, lower shrink, and a compelling new fresh-produce category - underpins a stronger per-kg unit-economics case for indoor farming.
By securing FDA, EFSA, and Israeli Ministry of Health approvals for fresh Wanna Greens®, GreenOnyx, via its QFarming® platform, has taken a notable step toward bringing a fresh aquatic vegetable into mainstream markets.
“GreenOnyx achieves this exceptional freshness and unmatched shelf life through its proprietary QFarming® technology that delivers consistent quality, year-round local production, and scalable economics.” Yahoo!Finance
“Wanna Greens® uniquely bridges the gap between convenience and fresh nutrition… making fresh greens enjoyable and effortless for all consumers, including children and non-vegetable eaters. Congratulations on winning ‘Vertical Farming Company of the Year!’” Bryan Vaughn, Managing Director, AgTech Breakthrough.
We’re grateful to AgTech Breakthrough for this recognition. GreenOnyx will continue to make healthy fresh greens accessible to everyone, so every spoon tastes like it was picked straight from the field, while pushing the performance ceiling of indoor-farming systems worldwide.
1. The official announcement (2025); GreenOnyx Named “Vertical Farming Company of the Year” In 2025 AgTech Breakthrough AwardsProgram; globenewswire
2. AgTech Breakthrough website: https://agtechbreakthrough.com/faqs/
3. Finnancial Time (2025) Can vertical farming overcome its growing pains?
4. William A. V. Stiles et al., (2025); The future of vertical farming: necessary advances in precision technology, crop selection and market sector development; The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology
5. S. H. van Delden (2021); Current status and future challenges in implementing and upscaling vertical farming systems; Nature Food