YC-backed Four Growers builds robots to help solve greenhouse labor shortages
Summary
When Brandon Contino and co-founder Dan Chi were developing Four Growers produce-harvesting robots, they practically lived in a greenhouse for an entire year. So, it was a very fun time just living at the farm basically.The result was Four Growers, which builds robots designed to autonomously harvest plants in greenhouses. The tech currently works with tomatoes and will be commercially available to harvest other crops like cucumbers in the near future, Contino said.Continos path to building agtech robotics wasnt a fluid one. The National Association of State Departments of Agricultures 2024 labor report said the industry is facing a critical shortage of workers, and it wont get better anytime soon.Contino said they were intentional about focusing on greenhouse farms. They also harvest on a much more frequent schedule than outdoor farms, which makes them a good candidate to buy tech.Four Growers was officially founded in 2018 and launched the current iteration of its robots in 2023.