YesHealth, Mowreq start nationwide retail supply from Riyadh vertical farm

SAUDI ARABIA – YesHealth Group has started supplying fresh produce to Panda stores across Saudi Arabia from its Riyadh vertical farm, through a joint venture with Mowreq Specialized Agriculture.

The produce reaches the market under the Jana Farm brand as the facility increases output in planned stages.

Jesper Hansen, Chief Commercial Officer at YesHealth, said the farm already operates and sells into retail. “It’s fully operational, and it’s selling in the market,” he said. He added that the facility aims to reach about 2,000 kilos, or two tonnes, per day within the next 12 months, with volumes rising step by step rather than all at once.

Hansen said the Riyadh project reflects a clear focus on daily operations rather than bold technology claims. “Building a farm, though difficult, is many times easier than running the farm,” he said. According to Hansen, the farms that last depend on consistent execution, cost control, and alignment with market demand.

YesHealth brings experience from Taiwan, where it operates a large commercial vertical farm in Taoyuan. That background shapes how the company works abroad. “We design, we build, and we operate. Typically, we also co-invest,” Hansen said. “We have a small shareholding in each of our international projects.” He said the real value comes from day to day operations, not from construction alone.

Why Saudi Arabia fits the model

Hansen said vertical farming works best in places where climate and logistics limit traditional agriculture. “I’ve always thought that vertical farms have their specific value proposition and utilization,” he said. “They’re far more meaningful to build in a desert or in a cold area or on an island somewhere where there’s not traditional agriculture that works flawlessly.”

In Saudi Arabia, extreme heat and supply chains shape those limits. “We grow items like arugula, which is flown into Saudi from Italy, because you cannot ship it in,” Hansen said. “The shipping time is longer than the flight.” He added, “When you can grow locally, you just have a huge advantage.”

Outdoor temperatures reached 54 degrees Celsius last year, according to Hansen. “It’s an insane temperature that even the most advanced or high-tech greenhouses would also struggle to cope with,” he said.

Planned growth and market testing

The joint venture currently sells more than 20 SKUs at lower volumes, with full production expected within a year. The range includes butter, romaine, and iceberg lettuce, cruciferous greens, and herbs. The partners also plan to supply microgreens and edible flowers, mainly for hospitality buyers.

Jana Farm produce now reaches Panda stores from Riyadh to Jeddah and the Eastern Province, with first deliveries made on Christmas Day 2025.

Inside the farm, YesHealth relies on manual packaging despite the scale of the site. “Despite the scale of the Riyadh facility, all the packaging is manual. We have 20 to 30 people packing every day,” Hansen said. He said early automation can lock farms into formats that later fail to match market demand.

Hansen said the 15 metre facility, built with 19 levels, stands as the tallest vertical farm in the MENA region. Construction faced intense heat and frequent sand exposure.

“We spent a lot of time washing down every single surface inside the farm due to a very thin film of sand,” he said. “But that’s what happens when you build in the middle of the desert.”

On energy use, Hansen said low electricity costs in Saudi Arabia reduce pressure compared with colder markets.

The facility does not yet use renewable power due to space limits, but future projects under the partnership may include solar. “It’s not the technology itself,” Hansen said. “The farms that are emerging as winners are the ones with the right people and the right processes.”

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