BKCC debuts in Europe with Hasselt vertical farm showcase

BK Conveyor Culture made its European debut Sept. 12 at the Indoor Vertical Farm Experience Centre in Hasselt, Belgium. The first installation is a working demonstration of a moving-tray system designed to simplify labor, irrigation and farm operations, with substrate-free cultivation next on the roadmap.

Why it matters: - BKCC is trying to change indoor farming by moving trays to workers instead of moving workers through fixed racks. - The approach could reduce labor complexity and simplify irrigation in vertical farms. - Farmers Lab sees substrate-free cultivation as the next step toward a more economically viable commercial model.

What happened: - BK Conveyor Culture was presented in Europe for the first time on Sept. 12 at the Indoor Vertical Farm Experience Centre in Hasselt, Belgium. - Farmers Lab Ltd. developed BKCC in Korea. - The Hasselt site is the first European installation of the system. - The company framed the launch as a working demonstration, not a finished commercial rollout.

The details: - BKCC uses a moving-tray concept that brings growing trays to a single work point and a single irrigation point. - The system is designed to avoid continuous movement through fixed multi-level growing racks. - The Hasselt facility is intended to serve as a demonstration and development platform. - Farmers Lab plans to use the site to operate, test, refine and adapt BKCC for different crops and cultivation methods. - BKCC enters a vertical farming market that has focused heavily on environmental control, LED lighting, automation and crop productivity. - Farmers Lab completed a series of preliminary trials on substrate-free cultivation. - The company is now designing a practical commercial model for that growing method. - Farmers Lab said combining substrate-free cultivation with BKCC could create a new vertical farming concept and improve indoor farm economics. - Farmers Lab thanked Bernard Sleijster and the Indoor Vertical Farm team for preparing and completing the first BKCC Experience Day in Europe. - Contact information listed for Farmers Lab included Seungwan Lee, plus social media links on LinkedIn and YouTube.

Between the lines: - The Hasselt showcase appears aimed at proving operational value before a broader commercial push. - Positioning the site as a development platform suggests Farmers Lab wants real-world feedback before scaling. - The focus on workflow, not just climate control, signals a different way of thinking about vertical farm design.

What's next: - Farmers Lab plans to keep refining BKCC at the Hasselt site. - The company’s next major development is commercialization of substrate-free cultivation. - Further testing will likely determine how well BKCC adapts across crops and cultivation methods. - Farmers Lab said the system is moving toward a commercial model, but did not give a timeline.