Bay Area startup delivers personalized produce

Willo is rolling out a direct-to-consumer (DTC) fresh produce platform it calls “farming as a service.”

San Jose-based Willo, an indoor vertical farming startup, is debuting a DTC delivery program in San Jose. Willo’s mostly automated farm grows organic plant produce, and residents within 20 miles of Santa Clara, Calif. can subscribe to an exclusive plot in the farm starting at $99 a month. 

The membership grants access to regular deliveries of customizable packaged salads starting in August 2020, with a single purchase option also available for $49. Willo will add additional fruits and vegetables to its farming capabilities as it scales.

Following its Bay Area launch, Willo will continue expanding the “farming as a service” model to urban communities across the country, with planned expansions to cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, New York, and Washington, D.C., in the next 24 months. Willo aims to scale its technology to every major city globally.

“Willo is unleashing the power of plants on human health,” said Samuel Bertram, co-founder and CEO of Willo. “For the first time, fresh food will be grown specifically for the person consuming it. Personalization exists everywhere except for the food industry; and we’re here to give the market what they are asking for. By letting people configure their own plot in Willo’s farm, we can grow the specific fruits and vegetables they desire, while making recommendations tailored to their health needs. Willo plans to build farms in every major city on Earth with the mission to eliminate diet-related disease through personalized plant-based nutrition.”