James Dyson, the genius behind bagless vacuums and bladeless fans, has set his sights on a surprising new challenge: strawberries. In the lush fields of Lincolnshire, England, Dyson Farming’s 26-acre glasshouse is shaking up agriculture with a mix of robots, renewable energy, and a laser focus on doing things smarter.
Dyson’s farming adventure kicked off over a decade ago when he snapped up 36,000 acres across Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. Why? He wanted tastier, homegrown food that doesn’t come with the environmental baggage of imports. “I love strawberries,” Dyson says with a grin. “The ones we import just aren’t that great, but we can grow way better ones right here—no air miles, no planes.” That passion fuels the Carrington glasshouse, a massive setup that’s half farm, half high-tech lab. Since its first harvest in 2021, it’s churned out 1,225,000 strawberry plants, delivering juicy, sweet berries to Brits year-round, even in the dead of winter.
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What makes this place special is its clever circular farming system, powered by an anaerobic digester that turns crop waste into renewable energy. It’s enough to light up 10,000 homes, with extra heat and CO2 piped into the glasshouse to keep the plants happy. Rainwater collected from the roof waters the crops, stored in a lagoon for maximum efficiency. The digester’s leftover digestate doubles as organic fertilizer, and they’re even planning to grow strawberries right in it. “Dyson’s proud to run a farm that’s not just carbon neutral but carbon negative,” a report highlights. This closed-loop setup cuts waste and takes a big swing at the carbon footprint of imported strawberries, which rack up an average of 2,351 miles to hit UK shelves in winter.
Inside the glasshouse, it’s all about innovation. Strawberry plants hang in swinging gutters that boost crop density by 15%. A fancy climate control system, run by smart software, keeps temperatures just right for year-round harvests. But the real star is Dyson’s Hybrid Vertical Growing System, which cranks yields up by 250% compared to old-school methods. Imagine huge, 5.5-meter-high rigs—bigger than two double-decker buses—spinning trays of plants to soak up every ray of sunlight. LED lights kick in during darker months to keep things steady. “We built every piece of the Hybrid Vertical Growing System ourselves,” Dyson says. “These are the biggest machines Dyson’s ever made, packed with 6,000 strawberry plants. They rotate slowly with a slick drainage system, and those plants are thrilled, giving us super sweet berries.”
Robots take it to a whole new level. How so? Sixteen robotic arms with vision sensors carefully pick ripe strawberries, and then judge them by size, shape, color, as well as texture. UV-blasting bots roll through, zapping mold with light to skip pesticides, while others release helpful insects to tackle pests like aphids. “We use machines to keep things chemical-free,” Dyson explains. Some of these bots, built by Dogtooth Tech, have picked millions of strawberries, filling gaps left by seasonal workers. In one month, they nabbed 200,000 berries, showing off serious precision.
Angel Angelov, the glasshouse manager with 20 years of know-how, brings the human touch to this tech fest. A former computer science student, he’s spent three years perfecting these berries. “Growing sustainably with as little input as possible while maxing out quality and production is the dream,” Angelov says, buzzing with excitement. “Scaling this up for our big expansion plans is just thrilling!” His 176-person team works hand-in-hand with the tech, making sure every berry lives up to Dyson’s high standards.
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