SL’s RIOCOCO selected as growing media supplier for world’s largest high-tech greenhouse in Japan

Japan became the first country in the world to build the most high-tech greenhouse. SARA greenhouse was built in Kasaoka city in Japan and it is the largest single site in the advanced glass greenhouse project with the latest technology available to grow tomatoes, bell peppers and butterhead lettuce. 

This project involves the operations of advanced greenhouse horticulture and biomass power plants. The cost per acre to build this greenhouse is five times higher than the per acre cost of a normal high-tech greenhouse. 

SARA developed a new climate control system for semi-closed greenhouse settings. The next important step was to select a suitable growing media supplier, which can pair with the climate control system. The world’s leading growing media suppliers presented their products until finally the management of SARA, Inc. decided to work exclusively with the Sri Lankan RIOCOCO brand coir growing medium. 

This is a great and a unique opportunity for RIOCOCO to prove that they are the market leader in coir growing media brands in the world and win a recognition for Sri Lanka as a part of the world’s most high-tech greenhouse operation. The opening ceremony was held in the Kasaoka City Greenhouse premises on 21 June. Invitees from the Government of Japan, local government and business partners participated in the ceremony, at the end which the US’s Ceyhinz Link International, Inc./Sri Lanka’s RIOCOCO Lanka Ltd. CEO Susantha Shan Halamba presented Sri Lankan flag to display inside the greenhouse. He thanked the management of SARA for giving this great opportunity to RIOCOCO to be a part of the prestigious project. 

This is the first time a ‘Made in Sri Lanka’ coir-growing medium product will be used in the most high-tech greenhouse complex in the world. RIOCOCO coir-growing medium products are sold in 52 countries worldwide and it is the only Sri Lanka-based company that was awarded the prestigious international business Stevie Gold Award in the USA.

Kagome, the largest multi-greenhouse company in Japan also uses RIOCOCO growing media to grow their Disney brand tomatoes throughout Japan since 2006. This is also a very rare opportunity a Sri Lankan based company achieved in Japan to work with a billion-dollar Japanese conglomerate over 13 years and help them to make their product as No. 1 tomato grade in Japanese market.