Shockingly Fresh

What Shockingly Fresh does

Shockingly Fresh Limited is a Scotland-based controlled environment agriculture (CEA) development platform founded in 2017. The company develops natural-light, high-density indoor farming sites using the Saturn Bioponics growing system — a greenhouse-based, soilless vertical tower architecture with closed-loop nutrient delivery and on-site water reservoirs. Shockingly Fresh's proposition is end-to-end: it evaluates sites, develops infrastructure, manages construction, and facilitates project financing for landowners, growers, retailers and investors, rather than operating farms as its core business.

The company currently has one operational site — a 1-hectare facility at Offenham completed in summer 2021 and operated by commercial partner Valefresco — which has delivered over 10 million plants with documented resource efficiency (50% less fertiliser, 90% less spoilage, and water use as low as 5% of conventional cropping). The pipeline includes 23 hectares of construction-ready sites (Three Oaks at Courteenhall Estate, 10 hectares; Longford Farm near Livingston, 13 hectares), 45 hectares in advanced planning, and over 60 hectares at earlier stages, plus early-stage international projects in France and Oman.

Shockingly Fresh earns revenue through professional services for site development and construction, and through managed services where partner-operated sites generate commercial crop production revenue supplied to major UK retailers (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Co-op, M&S). The 1-10 person leadership team brings over 80 years of combined infrastructure development experience and has previously attracted over £3 billion of investment across energy projects, which the company is leveraging for CEA project finance.

Name

Shockingly Fresh

Legal name

Shockingly Fresh Limited

Website

https://shockinglyfresh.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shockingly Fresh is a Scotland-based controlled environment agriculture development platform that builds and finances natural-light vertical farming sites using the Saturn Bioponics system, serving landowners, growers, retailers and investors across the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Controlled Environment Agriculture Development

NAICS

Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141), Vegetable and Melon Farming (1112), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) / Vertical Farming (Indoor LED Farms) (AFAGAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hydroponic & Aeroponic Growing Systems (NFT, DWC, Ebb/Flow, Misting) (AFAAAHAD), Greenhouse Structures & Construction (Frames, Glazing, Benches) (AFAAAHAA)

Keywords

• Controlled environment agriculture
• Vertical farming development
• Natural light greenhouse systems
• CEA infrastructure projects
• Sustainable agriculture investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Site Development and Construction: Shockingly Fresh develops CEA sites from evaluation through construction and commissioning, providing end-to-end infrastructure development services to landowners and investor partners.
2. Partnership-based Crop Production: Partner-operated growing sites (e.g., Valefresco operating Offenham) generate commercial crop production revenue through supply to major UK retailers, with Shockingly Fresh facilitating the infrastructure and platform.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Shockingly Fresh develops and delivers end-to-end controlled environment agriculture (CEA) projects using the Saturn Bioponics natural light high density growing system. The company provides site evaluation, planning, construction, commissioning, and funding facilitation for greenhouse-based vertical farming sites, with commercial crop production carried out by partner growers that supply major UK supermarkets. Its operational footprint includes the Offenham site (1 hectare, since 2021) plus a multi-hectare pipeline of construction-ready and planning-stage greenhouse developments.

Product overview

Shockingly Fresh is a CEA (Controlled Environment Agriculture) development platform offering an integrated portfolio of services and physical growing sites. The core offering consists of the Natural Light High Density Growing System powered by Saturn Bioponic technology, combined with end-to-end development services spanning site evaluation, construction, and funding facilitation. The company's operational footprint includes the Offenham site (1 hectare, operational since 2021), while development projects include Three Oaks (10 hectares) and Longford Farm (13 hectares). The platform enables growers and retailers to access sustainable, affordable high-quality produce production while providing investors with bankable opportunities in low-carbon agriculture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Natural Light High Density Growing System A controlled environment agriculture system that uses natural light to grow produce at high density, requiring only 5% of the water used by conventional cropping and delivering 50% less fertiliser and 90% less spoilage compared to traditional UK crop growing. Targeted at landowners, growers, retailers, and investors seeking low-energy, high-yield fresh produce production.
• Saturn Bioponic System A greenhouse-based growing system using vertical growing towers and a closed-loop nutrition feed system with on-site water reservoirs, delivered via Saturn Bioponics Ltd. Deployed at Shockingly Fresh's sites to enable high-density crop production with minimal energy and resource inputs.
• End-to-End CEA Development Platform A comprehensive controlled environment agriculture development platform providing site evaluation, development, construction, commissioning, and funding facilitation services for natural light high density growing projects. Targeted at landowners, growers, retailers, and investors seeking bankable, infrastructure-grade CEA project delivery.

Quantifiable outcome

• Water usage as low as 5% of conventional cropping requirements
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ValefrescocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Valefresco operates the Offenham site commercially, growing, picking, planting, packaging and distributing crops directly to large supermarket brands across the UK. Valefresco has also launched their own brand of bagged baby leaf named 'BABYFRESCO'. Nick Mauro, a Valefresco director, also serves as a Director of Shockingly Fresh.
• Saturn Bioponics LtdcoreTechnology or IntegrationSaturn Bioponics Ltd provides the Saturn growing system technology used at Shockingly Fresh sites. Alex Fisher, founder and CEO of Saturn Bioponics, serves as a Director of Shockingly Fresh. Saturn Bioponics has received over £1.1m in Innovate UK grant awards for developing the Saturn system.
• Courteenhall EstateminorOthersCourteenhall Estate owns the land for the Three Oaks development site located next to the M1 motorway. Planning permission has been granted for this 10-hectare greenhouse development.
• Major UK Supermarket BrandscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorValefresco's operations supply crops directly to large supermarket brands across the UK including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Co-op and M&S. These retailers have made commitments to halve the environmental impact of food shopping by end of decade.
• Forsa Energy LtdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Alan Baker also serves as CEO of Forsa Energy Ltd. Both companies share leadership and appear to operate in adjacent clean energy sectors.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Rijk Zwaan: Global vegetable seed and breeding company where COO Gerard Van der Hut was previously UK Managing Director; comparable as an adjacent agriculture ecosystem participant connected to Shockingly Fresh through management.

Regional players

• BrightFarms: US greenhouse hydroponic leafy greens supplier serving major US supermarket chains; directly comparable business model (greenhouse-grown produce for retailer private label) but operating in North America rather than UK/Europe.

Direct peers

• Infarm: German-headquartered vertical farming company that operated in UK supermarkets before restructuring in 2023; an instructive comparable for the European CEA-to-retail business model Shockingly Fresh pursues.
• GrowUp Farms: UK vertical farm operator producing leafy greens and herbs for major UK retailers including Iceland and Tesco; directly comparable as a UK-based CEA supplier serving the same supermarket channel.
• Jones Food Company (Ocado): UK vertical farm acquired by Ocado, producing herbs and leafy greens at scale for UK retail; competes for the same supermarket offtake and shelf space as Shockingly Fresh.
• Valefresco: UK leafy greens grower operating Shockingly Fresh's Offenham site and supplying major UK supermarkets; commercially aligned but separate entity, with overlapping directors on Shockingly Fresh's board.
• Saturn Bioponics: Technology provider whose hydroponic growing system is the core of Shockingly Fresh's platform; founder/CEO Alex Fisher sits on Shockingly Fresh's board, making this effectively an affiliated technology partner.
• Fischer Farms: UK vertical farm building one of the world's largest LED-based indoor farms in Norfolk; targets the same UK supermarket supply opportunity with a different (fully artificial lighting) technology approach.

Broad incumbents

• AeroFarms: US-headquartered indoor vertical farming operator with significant scale, R&D capability, and capital base; serves as a benchmark for CEA unit economics and capital intensity in the broader category.
• Plenty Unlimited: US vertical farming company that has raised over $900m and built large-scale indoor farms; comparable as a category leader whose struggles highlight capital-efficiency questions Shockingly Fresh's natural-light model attempts to address.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Shockingly Fresh