Farms in Europe, and worldwide, are suffering from a continuous and worsening shortage of workers. In the UK, this problem has been exacerbated by Covid-19, Brexit, the war in Ukraine and high employment levels in competing sectors, with the National Farmers’ Union suggesting that as much as £60m of food will be left to rot on farms this year due to labour shortages.
In this scenario, harvesting robot developers Fieldwork Robotics announced it has secured €1.7 million from Elbow Beach Capital, a decarbonisation, sustainability and social impact investor. Family office Frontier IP, and other existing investors have also followed on in this round. At the same time, an ongoing Seedrs round opened to new investors, which will close in September, and is expected to raise an additional €700k.
Initially focusing on soft fruits, such as raspberries, Fieldwork Robotics has developed advanced, AI-supported harvesting robots to help solve the problem of worker shortages, increase farm efficiency and reduce food wastage in the UK and beyond. Raspberry producers in particular face several issues including chronic labour shortages and dwindling net margins. Picking raspberries alone accounts for over 50% of total production costs.
David Fulton, CEO of Fieldwork Robotics, said: “Elbow Beach Capital are a great strategic and cultural fit for us. As a genuine impact investor, it’s clear that EBC are not only looking for potential value, but also at the impact of their investments and how they can make the world a better place. This round will support our work with forward-looking farms looking to solve their labour shortages, reduce crop wastage and mitigate food inflation.”