In a move that epitomizes the evolution of sustainable infrastructure, Swiss Life Asset Managers, through its Luxembourg-based fund “Swiss Life Global Infrastructure Opportunities Growth II,” has announced the creation of an industrial joint venture with Planet Farms Holding, a leading player in the field of controlled environment agriculture (Controlled Environment Agriculture – CEA).
This collaboration marks a strategic turning point for both partners:
🔹 Swiss Life Asset Managers is taking a majority stake in this new entity,
🔹 while Planet Farms Holding retains a key role as a minority investor and provider of agronomic and technological expertise.
The transaction involves up to €125 million in growth capital to accelerate the development and construction of indoor vertical farms across Europe. The first concrete milestone: the integration of a 20,000-square-meter facility in Cirimido (Lombardy), along with a robust project pipeline and existing business relationships.
A transformative response to contemporary agricultural challenges
CEA infrastructure is at the heart of concrete solutions to the major challenges facing traditional agriculture:
rising input costs,
climate change and resource scarcity,
instability in global supply chains.
Planet Farms currently grows lettuce in indoor environments without pesticides and using 95% less water than conventional methods. The result: cleaner, more stable, and more sustainable production capable of meeting the growing demand from distributors and manufacturers, who are drawn to the freshness, consistency, and reliability of the supply.
The ambitions of the two partners
“CEA is becoming an essential link in the food chain. This joint venture allows us to build a new infrastructure vertical, supported by stable revenue streams, tangible assets, and long-term contracts,”
comments Carlo Forattini, Senior Investment Manager at Swiss Life Asset Managers.
“This partnership with Swiss Life marks a new stage in our development. Their support strengthens our model and accelerates our expansion across Europe,”
emphasizes Daniele Benatoff, CEO of Planet Farms Holding.
