What ECF Farmsystems does

ECF Farmsystems GmbH is a Berlin-based private company (founded 2015 per company history) that designs, builds, and operates aquaponic farm systems for European food retailers. Its core technology, ECF Aquaponics, couples an aquaculture circuit for fish farming with a separate vertical/horizontal circuit for plant production. The two-circuit architecture allows independent pH management for fish and plants and permits targeted nutrient dosing on the plant side without harming fish; bacteria convert fish excreta into plant fertilizer, while CO₂ from the fish circuit is fed into the greenhouse. Production is split between a vertical phase (concentrating light energy on the plants) and a horizontal phase (capitalizing on solar energy), which the company reports delivers 152% higher yields per square meter, 60% lower heat demand, and 95% lower water use versus conventional methods. Output spans fish (catfish, barramundi, trout, char, tilapia), herbs and vegetables (basil, baby leaf, parsley, lettuce, dill, cucumber, eggplant, pepper, tomato, zucchini), and mushrooms (champignon, shiitake, oyster, king oyster, nameko).

ECF monetizes through two B2B partnership models. Under the ECF Operator Model, the food retailer finances and owns the building while ECF plans and operates the farm under a lease and supplies produce via a buying contract. Under the ECF Producer Model, ECF converts regional sites into full-assortment farms and sells produce to retailers under purchase agreements. The customer base is concentrated in large European retailers and operators, with REWE Group as the flagship partner — two of the four documented sites (Berlin and Wiesbaden) are dedicated REWE facilities supplying roughly 850 stores collectively. Additional installations include a rooftop facility for Ecco Jäger in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland, and the BIGH Aquaponics Farm on a Brussels market hall rooftop in Belgium. The company is privately held, founder-led (Nicolas Leschke, CEO), bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding rounds, and operates with a team of 1–10 employees from Berlin.

Name

ECF Farmsystems

Legal name

ECF Farmsystems GmbH

Website

https://ecf-farmsystems.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ECF Farmsystems GmbH is a Berlin-based company that designs, builds, and operates proprietary aquaponic farm systems for European food retailers, combining aquaculture with hybrid vertical/horizontal greenhouse production. It serves clients including REWE Group, Ecco Jäger, and BIGH through Operator (lease) and Producer (purchase agreement) models.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aquaponics Farming Systems

NAICS

Aquaculture (1125), Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141), Other Aquaculture (112519)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Aquaponics (Integrated Fish & Plant Production) (AFAEAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aquaculture Farm Services & Operations Support (net cleaning, diving, grading, harvesting) (AFAEAAAM), Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) / Vertical Farming (Indoor LED Farms) (AFAGAHAJ)

Keywords

• Aquaponics farming systems
• Vertical greenhouse production
• Urban agriculture
• Aquaculture fish farming
• Farm construction services

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. ECF Operator Model - Farm Lease: ECF is commissioned to plan the farm; the building is financed and owned by the food retailer; ECF produces food and pays investment lease. Food retailer receives ultra-fresh and sustainable produce through buying contract.
2. ECF Producer Model - Produce Sales: ECF converts suitable regional production sites into sustainable full-assortment farms; ECF produces food on own farm in synergy with environment and logistics; Food retailers receive regional, ultra-fresh food through purchase agreements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ECF Farmsystems develops, plans, builds, and operates aquaponic farm systems that combine aquaculture (fish farming) with hybrid vertical greenhouse production. It supplies these turnkey farms to food retailers and sells the resulting ultra-fresh produce (fish, herbs, vegetables, mushrooms) back to retail partners.

Product overview

ECF Farmsystems offers a unified product-and-service portfolio centered on its proprietary ECF Aquaponics hybrid farming technology, which combines aquaculture and vertical greenhouse production. The company provides two business models: the ECF Operator Model (planning and operating farms for food retailers under lease) and the ECF Producer Model (developing and operating farms on its own sites). Alongside the technology, ECF produces and supplies fresh fish (Catfish, Barramundi, Trout, Char, Tilapia), herbs and vegetables (Basil, Baby Leaf, Parsley, Lettuce, Dill, Cucumber, Eggplant, Pepper, Tomato, Zucchini), and mushrooms (Champignon, Shiitake, Oyster, King Oyster, Nameko) to food retail partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ECF Aquaponics A hybrid aquaponic farming system combining aquaculture and vertical/horizontal greenhouse production. Uses two independent water circuits (fish and plants) controlled by smart measurement technology, delivering 152% higher yields per square meter and 60% lower heat demand versus conventional greenhouse farming. Sold to food retailers integrating sustainable local food production.
• ECF Operator Model A partnership/service model where ECF plans and operates the aquaponics farm under a lease agreement, while the food retailer finances and owns the building and purchases the produced food through a buying contract. For food retailers seeking in-store or near-store sustainable production.
• ECF Producer Model A partnership/service model where ECF converts regional production sites into sustainable full-assortment farms, produces food on its own farm, and sells the produce to food retailers under a purchase agreement. For retailers wanting regional ultra-fresh supply without owning the facility.
• Fresh Fish Products Sustainably farmed aquaponic fish including Catfish, Barramundi, Trout, Char, and Tilapia, produced within the ECF Aquaponics system and supplied to food retail partners.
• Fresh Produce (Herbs, Greens & Vegetables) A range of herbs and vegetables including Basil, Baby Leaf, Parsley, Lettuce, Dill, Cucumber, Eggplant, Pepper, Tomato, and Zucchini, grown in the aquaponics system and customized to market demand for retail partners.
• Fresh Mushrooms Mushroom varieties including Champignon, Shiitake, Oyster, King Oyster, and Nameko, grown in conjunction with the aquaponic farming system and supplied to retail partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 152% higher yields per square meter compared to conventional greenhouse farming
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• REWE GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerECF Farmsystems and REWE Group formed a flagship partnership to create the first REWE Green Farming supermarket in Wiesbaden in 2021. ECF develops, builds, and operates aquaponics farms for REWE, which owns and finances the facilities. REWE supplies up to 500 supermarkets with fresh fish and basil from these farms. The partnership represents a pioneering model for integrating sustainable food production into food retail infrastructure.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Infarm: Berlin-based indoor vertical farming company that built in-store and near-store farming units for European grocery retailers (Edeka, M&S, Kroger). Competes head-to-head with ECF for the same retail-integrated farming use case, though Infarm focuses on hydroponics rather than aquaponics.
• Plenty: US vertical farming company building indoor farms for fresh produce retail supply. Comparable in selling technology-enabled, capital-intensive fresh produce to major retailers, though operates in hydroponics and serves US-centric grocery chains.
• AeroFarms: US-based indoor vertical farming operator with patented aeroponic technology supplying retailers and food service. Comparable in providing technology-driven, hyperlocal fresh produce to enterprise food retail customers.
• Bowery Farming: US indoor vertical farming operator selling packaged salads and herbs to grocery retailers. Comparable in operating capital-intensive controlled environment farms supplying fresh produce through enterprise B2B retail channels.
• BIGH (Building Integrated Greenhouses): Belgian operator of the BIGH Aquaponics Farm in Brussels — a project ECF itself designed and constructed. Directly comparable as a rooftop-integrated aquaponics operation serving the European urban food retail market.
• Gotham Greens: US indoor hydroponic greenhouse operator supplying fresh produce to grocery retailers from urban-located facilities. Comparable in urban siting near retail demand, though uses hydroponics rather than aquaponics.
• 80 Acres Farms: US indoor vertical farming operator using advanced controlled environment technology to supply retailers with fresh produce. Comparable in the capital-intensive, technology-led indoor farming category targeting grocery customers.

Emerging players

• Supior Fresh / Superior Aquaponics: US commercial aquaponics operation combining fish and leafy greens production. Comparable in using aquaponics as the production technology but operates at larger US greenhouse scale and serves a different retailer set.

Broad incumbents

• Signify (Philips Horticulture LED Solutions): Global lighting incumbent whose horticulture LED solutions underpin most modern vertical and greenhouse farms including indoor aquaponics. Comparable as an enabling infrastructure supplier in the controlled environment agriculture ecosystem.
• Priva: Dutch climate and process control specialist for horticulture and indoor farming. Comparable as a provider of the smart measurement and control technology layer that ECF describes as integral to its aquaponics operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ecf_farmsystems
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• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2622546
• Instagraminstagram.com/ecf_farmsystems

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ECF Farmsystems