When Brandon Contino and co-founder Dan Chi were developing Four Growers' produce-harvesting robot, they essentially lived in a greenhouse for a year. They coded at a small desk in the back corner and discovered that a fertilizer bag made a comfortable bed.
“We actually just started doing everything on a laptop and I was participating in line coding. [Chi] We will make changes mechanically,” current CEO Contino told TechCrunch. “You run it, and then you change the code, you redevelop it, and you go back and run it again. So it was a really fun time just basically living on the farm.”
The result is Four Growers, which develops robots designed to autonomously harvest plants in greenhouses. This robot uses multiple stereo cameras to observe the crop and helps the farmer navigate the right ripeness level by helping him maneuver the robot's arm around unripe fruit on the vine. depending on your needs). Contino said the technology is currently being applied to tomatoes and could be used to harvest other crops such as cucumbers in the near future.
Contino’s path to building agtech robotics hasn’t been fluid. He entered university with an interest in neuroprosthetics. After that, he realized that he didn't want to work in cyborgs, so he shifted his focus to water sensors and water scarcity. Due to lack of water, he turned to farming, but after talking to farmers, he realized that robots could help them in a bigger way.
“In fact, we were calling various greenhouse farmers. We asked them seriously about all their challenges, and we always heard that labor was the biggest pain point for them. '' Contino said. “When I talk to people who live on outdoor farms, I hear the exact same thing.”
Having enough labor to harvest the crops is very important. If the crop is not harvested when it is ready, it will rot and result in a loss of profit for the farm. The National USDA Association's 2024 Labor Report said the industry is facing a “severe shortage” of workers that won't improve soon.
Contino said he intentionally focused on greenhouse farms. Unlike outdoor farms, greenhouses can be grown almost year-round, are closer to the end consumer, and are more efficient than outdoor farms, Contino said. They can also harvest on a much more frequent schedule than outdoor farms, making them a good place to buy technology.
Four Growers was officially founded in 2018 and introduced its current robot in 2023. The company currently works with five customers, and its robots have harvested millions of tomatoes.
The Pittsburgh-based company just raised $9 million in a Series A round led by Basset Capital, with participation from Y Combinator, Ospraie Ag Science, and other existing investors. The company has raised a total of $15 million in venture funding. Contino said the money will be used to build more robots, as he is not sure if they will be able to keep up with demand.
The timing of the announcement comes just days after Bowery Farms, a large and well-capitalized indoor farming startup, was forced to shut down operations as a result of crop disease and narrow profit margins with no room for error. It took place a few weeks later.
Contino said he wants all companies in this field to succeed, but added that vertical farms are especially difficult and expensive. Before launching Four Growers, Contino considered vertical farming and decided there was a better market opportunity by building the technology for existing farms rather than trying to start one on his own. He said he did.
There are a number of companies looking to help farms become more efficient with robotic harvesting, including Carbon Robotics, which has raised $143 million in venture capital. Blue River Technology and Bear Flag Robotics are both agricultural robotics companies that raised venture capital before being acquired by John Deere. Seso is an agricultural technology startup that is tackling the industry's labor shortage from a different perspective: making it easier for farms to accommodate migrant workers.
Contino said the company is working to expand its technology beyond just harvesting and is also considering expanding into outdoor farms in the coming years.
“It's not really a labor replacement; it's more of an expansion,” Contino said. “As the workforce shrinks and fewer people are willing to do the work, they are moving into more comfortable positions and able to do more alone.”