ROKO Farming
We combine traditional values with innovative approaches and stand for quality, responsibility and progress.
The moment I understood how complex and yet fragile our food production is didn’t come in the office – but on an organic vegetable farm. After ten years in a large corporation, my career was progressing according to plan. Nevertheless, I increasingly felt that something was missing. I wanted to understand how real value is created – and how the food we consume every day is produced. So I quit my job and worked for six months on an organic farm. There I learned what agriculture truly means: hard work, in-depth knowledge, entrepreneurial risk – and at the same time, an enormous dependence on weather, markets, and political frameworks.
It became clear to me: farmers do an incredible amount of work – and many farms are looking for ways to develop additional and predictable sources of income. At the same time, my brother, as a process engineer, pursued a clear goal: to further develop technologies from research so that they create real benefits in practice.
For years, we had been privately involved with indoor vertical farming. What began as a technical interest quickly became more concrete: We built our own systems, experimented with cultivation methods, and tested the possibilities of automated plant production. But the crucial factor wasn’t the technology itself, but rather the feedback from practical experience. In the first few years, we spoke with over 2,000 farmers and personally visited more than 50 farms – from traditional arable farms and vegetable producers to direct marketers. We encountered a great deal of support, but also clear skepticism. And it was precisely this skepticism that proved decisive.
Because the questions were always the same:
– Does it work reliably in everyday practice?
– Is it economical?
– Can it be meaningfully integrated into existing operations?
Farmers aren’t looking for technical gimmicks. They’re looking for solutions that work. This feedback has shaped our product more than any theory. At some point, we realized what was missing: Not just another concept. Not just a vision on paper. But a practical system that concretely helps farmers develop their operations.
That’s precisely why we developed our microgreens containers.
A solution that allows farms to:
• produce independently of weather and season
• strategically expand their product range
• better utilize existing marketing channels
• generate additional, predictable income.
Not as a replacement for traditional agriculture, but as a complement that makes the farm more stable and future-proof.
Microgreens allow direct marketers to expand their product range with a high-quality and modern product. Production is independent of weather and season and can effectively complement existing sales channels such as farm shops, farmers’ markets, or restaurants. Our goal is deliberately simple:
We provide farmers with a tool to increase their income – without having to abandon their existing business model.
We are convinced that the agriculture of the future will not emerge in opposition to tradition, but rather from it. From experience, entrepreneurship, and the knowledge of the farms – combined with technologies that create real value. It is precisely at this intersection that we work every day. For farms that want to preserve their strengths, create new added value, and simultaneously seize new opportunities.
Managing Director
Technical Management
Development Engineer
Our goal is to make agricultural processes more efficient, conserve resources and create a successful future together with our partners.
As engineers who grew up in the countryside, we combine down-to-earth practicality with technical ingenuity. We value not only sophisticated technology but also reliable personal service for our customers.
Berblinger Innovation Prize 2020 of the City of Ulm
Startup BW Elevator Pitch – Regional Cup Ulm 2021
