Cost-effective cable support solutions for vegetable cultivation 40 meters underground

The parent company of Växa Odling i Sverige is called VAXA, which means grow in Icelandic, and the business idea comes from the two entrepreneurs, Andri Björn Gunnarsson and Andri Gudmundsson, who started the company in 2017. They wanted to be able to grow crops despite the fact that the conditions in Iceland are far from optimal, as the environment is barren and there is limited sunlight. VAXA therefore developed a special technique to be able to cultivate indoors, in a controlled environment that is both sustainable and environmentally friendly. 

- VAXA built the first facility in Reykjavík and the vegetables produced were very well received by the market. The vegetables are full of flavor and maintain a consistent high-quality, while being produced in a sustainable way," says Oscar Uhrström, CEO of Växa Odling i Sverige AB. 

"It turned out that the premises are perfect for our business with a controlled environment for cultivation, where we ourselves control all plant factors, such as water, light and humidity. The climate in the mine is constant, around 10º C all year round"

 

Controlled environment 

As the market is very limited in Iceland, it was natural to start looking at exports, and for the Nordic market, the focus soon turned to Sweden, which has advantages from a logistical point of view.  

- We wanted to find a location in central Sweden where we could build a new production facility and therefore started looking for premises in the Örebro area. In connection with this, we received a tip that there were larger areas for rent in an old mine under Kvarntorp's industrial area. We didn’t specifically look for underground premises; rather, it was chance that led to it. And it turned out to be perfect for our business that needs a controlled environment for cultivation. We control all cultivation parameters, such as water, light and humidity. The temperature in the mine is constant, about 10º C all year round," says Oscar Uhrström. 

 

Innovation 

During the ongoing expansion of the facility, Ampere Örebro is responsible for all the electrical installation. 

- This is a large and at the same time, exciting project and we are now working on installations in four caverns. In total, we are seven people in the company, of which two to four of us are in the mine full-time. In addition, we have been involved in the design of the facility. This has required a new way of thinking and we have had regular meetings with those responsible at Växa Odling i Sverige to find the best solutions. Compared to the first phase, where we were not involved, it is now being built more cost-effective. The focus is to develop flexible and simple solutions to reduce production costs as it is important that the vegetables maintain a reasonable price level in the stores," says Oskar Huss and continues: 

- When it came to the choice of products, nothing was decided beforehand, and it was up to us to come up with the best alternatives. We developed solutions and presented various proposals to the customer. When it came to cable ladders, Wibe was the obvious choice. Especially since, in this case, it is a question of a rather tough environment where you must attach the cable support to the mine walls. We mostly use Wibe's cable support products in our various projects. They are of good quality and have flexible solutions that shorten our working hours. Installing their products is a bit like building with Lego! Last but not least, it is a great advantage that their salesman Jonas Hurtig is based nearby and can always give us quick support if we have any questions. 

"When it comes to cable ladders, Wibe was the obvious choice. Especially since in this case it is a rather tough environment where you have to attach products directly to the rock"

 

One kilometer of cable ladder 

Jonas Hurtig is the Regional Sales Manager Central Sweden at Wibe Group. He has been with the company for two years and works with installers, wholesalers, and consultants in Östergötland, Västmanland, Värmland, Sörmland, Örebro County and Gotland.  

- I really enjoy my job and my colleagues. It makes it easy to work in sales as you have such good support from our customer service team, who help with quotes and more. It is also easy to represent such a strong and well-known brand as Wibe in the market. We can offer a wide range of quality products and if it is a particularly challenging installation, our customer support can help, and many times we create unique solutions for customers in their projects. Often it can be a matter of adapting a product to a specific installation, and sometimes it results in completely new, unique products. Many times, the installer also discovers for themselves how to combine different products, like in this project, where the customer used a coupling intended for cable ladders to install electrical enclosures. You can solve most things with our products and it is fun to see the customers' ability to create new "inventions", says Jonas and continues: 

- For the current project, we have delivered approximately one kilometer of cable ladders KHZ and KHZP, as well as accessories such as vertical pieces and central suspension brackets. KHZ, with its strong hexagon-shaped side profile, is our most classic product and it often forms the backbone of many buildings' electrical installations. It is easy to use and can carry heavy loads. It is also available in surface treatments that can withstand very harsh environments, in this case a rather humid one.  

- It has been a lot of fun to be part of such a unique project. We have delivered cable support to mines before, but it is definitely the first time we’ve delivered to a vegetable “farm” underground. Every project has its own challenges. In this case, the mining environment placed extra high demands on logistics, as the mine tunnels are too narrow for larger trucks, and there is a lack of mobile coverage. The installer worked with the wholesaler Rexel, who met the challenges and was able to deliver on time in the best possible way. 

 

400 caverns 

The mine is owned by Svensk Berglagring KB, who used to extract sandstone to produce a specific type of building brick. The sandstone was found at a level of 40 meters, which is where the entire mine was built, and consists of about 400 caverns where each cavern is about 1000 square meters (100 meters long, 11 meters wide and with a ceiling height of 5 meters). 

- Last year, we started by building the facility in two caverns and last autumn we started the expansion of four more caverns. We have every opportunity to grow in the future as there are plenty of caverns left. In addition to our operations, there is currently only a tire company and Epiroc's machine testing facility," says Johan Larsson, site manager at Växa Odling i Sverige.

Flavorful and sustainable 

There are eight full-time employees at the plant, and in September last year, Växa Odling i Sverige began delivering herbs, green sprouts, and small-leafed salads to stores and restaurant wholesalers, starting in the Närke area.  

- We have received a very good response from the market and consumers, who enjoy our flavorful vegetables and the fact that they are locally produced and completely free of pesticides. They are also more sustainable as we use 90 - 95 % less water compared to traditional farming," says Oscar.