A collaboration between Montel and researchers at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), with major support from the Weston Family Foundation.
The Industry Challenge
Indoor farming continues to scale across leafy greens and herbs — yet berry production remains one of the industry’s most complex frontiers.
While consumer demand is high, scaling berries indoors presents a fundamental challenge: pollination. In enclosed, multi-layer environments, airflow dynamics, lighting geometry, and spatial constraints make traditional pollination methods unreliable and difficult to replicate.
For indoor berry production to scale with confidence, the industry requires a solution engineered specifically for controlled environments — not a workaround, but a system designed from the ground up.
The Innovation
Researchers at TMU, led by Professor Habiba Bougherara and Professor Lesley Campbell, are advancing a patented pollination system that applies airflow and precise microclimate control to autonomously transfer pollen between flowers. This innovation enables raspberries — and potentially other berries — to be grown indoors without bees, addressing a long-standing challenge in controlled-environment production.
In June 2025, the research team was awarded up to $5 million in funding to accelerate this work, with major support from the Weston Family Foundation through the Homegrown Innovation Challenge. This investment recognizes both the scientific rigor of the research and its potential impact on the future of indoor food production.
“This funding allows us to build and test a system that could transform indoor berry production in Canada. Partnering with Montel gives us the ability to validate our technology under real indoor growing conditions.”
— Professor Habiba Bougherara, Toronto Metropolitan University
Montel’s Role
Montel joins this initiative as a recognized leader in indoor vertical farming systems and engineered space optimization — supporting TMU’s scientific leadership with the infrastructure, engineering, and build expertise required to test innovation at operational scale.
This partnership reflects what Montel does best: building environments where performance is measurable, repeatable, and designed to evolve.
“Montel’s mission has always been to help growers ‘grow more’ with less space. Collaborating with TMU allows us to push the boundaries of what indoor growing can achieve when advanced science and engineering work hand in hand.”
— Yves Bélanger, VP Sales – Indoor Vertical Farming, Montel Inc.
MoFarm makes innovation testable.
Designed as a multi-level indoor microclimate farm, MoFarm is built on Montel GreenRak™ multi-tier grow racks, integrating intelligent air distribution and advanced pollination technology — all powered by digital electricity for enhanced efficiency, control, and sustainability.
Why It Matters
If validated, pollinator-independent indoor berry production could:
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Improve yield predictability and enable multi-layer production in controlled environments
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Reduce reliance on vulnerable pollinator populations
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Support resilient, year-round berry production
Project Status
MoFarm is currently under construction. As the pilot farm evolves, Montel will share milestone updates through this page — including research progress, build phases, and key learnings.
If you would like more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 1-877-935-0236
MoFarm — Where Innovation Takes Root
"How Montel and MoFarm are pushing the boundaries of Vertical Farming"
Agritecture’s latest feature takes a deep dive into indoor berry production challenges and the critical role of pilot farms like MoFarm.
