Plenty Unlimited to Build World’s Largest Vertical Farming Research Center in Wyoming

Plenty Unlimited Inc., a leader in indoor farming innovation, has announced plans to expand its research and development (R&D) operations by establishing the world’s largest vertical farming research center in Laramie, Wyoming. This initiative is supported by the largest economic development grant ever awarded by the State of Wyoming, with additional backing from the Wyoming Business Council, Laramie Chamber Business Alliance, and the City of Laramie.

Over the past decade, Plenty has advanced its indoor farming technology at its existing R&D center in Laramie, utilizing a proprietary platform that combines advanced genetics, custom hardware, and data analytics. The new facility aims to expand these capabilities, allowing Plenty to explore new crop varieties, enhance yield, and develop partnerships for further research into uses beyond fresh produce, such as food ingredients and pharmaceuticals.

Arama Kukutai, CEO of Plenty, highlighted the strategic importance of the new facility, stating, “This new advanced plant science research facility is not only the culmination of investing hundreds of millions of dollars into R&D over the past decade, but a blueprint for expanding our research capacity to support projects valuable to our partners, our industry, and beyond.”

The expanded center will enable Plenty to accelerate its research into diverse crops, leveraging its vertical growing system that has successfully cultivated over 50 different crops to date. Sasha Preuss, Vice President of Plant Science at Plenty, emphasized the facility’s potential for global impact, noting that it will support the development of new crops for Plenty’s farms, including those in the Middle East, thereby enhancing regional food security.

The research center’s design, developed by MOA Architecture, is now complete, and construction is set to begin next spring, with the facility expected to open by summer 2026.