Electric plants? Inside Dubai farm growing unique greens, flowers you can eat

At the Greeneration farm in Jebel Ali, thousands of edible flowers and microgreens are harvested daily and delivered to over 100 high-end and Michelin-starred restaurants in the UAE. Between 3am and 6am every day, the produce is harvested and packed as delivery trucks arrive by 7am to transport them to their destinations.

Founded by investment banker turned farmer Roman Ulyanov, the facility began operations in February 2024 and is currently expanding its offerings due to the interest it has seen.

“We deliver between 600 and 800 boxes with 20 flowers daily to restaurants in Dubai and Abu Dhabi,” he said. “We don’t use pesticides, and the produce is as fresh as it gets. We introduced 25 crops to the UAE that were not available before. Some were imported, but many flowers and leaves were too delicate to be transported. We have managed to cut down the cost and carbon emissions of importing such high-quality ingredients for restaurants in the country.”

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During Khaleej Times' tour inside the facility, he explained that it took him a year to bring his vision to fruition. "We customised everything from the size of the stands to the irrigation methods," he said. "We wanted to ensure we were not a cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all vertical farm. We adjusted the height and volume of the rooms to ensure that the electricity usage was reduced."

Cleanliness standards

Employees must go through an air cleaning unit before entering the facility. “This gets rid of dust, insects and bacteria,” said Daria Shchurik, marketing manager at the facility. “It is to ensure that our produce is of the highest quality.”

The seeds are germinated in a specially developed material called Rockwool. “This is to ensure we don’t use soil,” she explained. “If there is soil, then the produce must be washed. However, these flowers are too delicate to be washed.”

The seeds are kept in a dark, humid room to mimic underground conditions. Each day’s germination is marked separately. Once sprouted, they are moved into the light facility, where they are grown until harvested.

“We invest in technology to ensure the best farming conditions,” said Roman. “However, for harvesting, it is all done by humans. We specially train our staff to handle each of the produce carefully. Many of our flowers are delicate and need extreme care. We believe every business should have a good balance between humans and technology and our staff is of the utmost importance for us.”

Chef's demands

One of the flowers grown at the facility is the electric flower, which numbs the human tongue for a minute. "Many of our chefs like to experiment with it in drinks and so on,” he said. “The purple shiso is Japanese mint, which is in high demand in restaurants that serve Asian cuisine. The cornflower is an Estonian flower that is a must in pavlovas. Due to its bright colours, it is extremely popular, and we sell out of it every day.”

According to general manager Fadi Hijazi, Greeneration partners with chefs to create the products they need. “Sometimes chefs specify that they want leaves of a certain size,” he said. “They have a vision for a dish, and they want us to help them achieve it. We try to accommodate it and work with them to the best of our ability.”

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