Growing food locally can dramatically reduce carbon emissions. Yet, Luxembourg imports the vast majority of its food. This startup may have the key to changing that and making locally grown food even more sustainable.
It’s hard to not be assailed by the scent of the hundreds of basil plants at Fitotech‘s Heffingen laboratory. A stone’s throw from Luxembourg’s Mullerthal region, the lab has been growing and analysing around 20 different basil varieties since January 2023.
“We cannot agree on our favourite strain,” jokes Artyom Yukhin, Fitotech co-founder and investor.
Soil-Free Herbs All-Year Round
This is not any old experimental plant nursery: it is a prototype of an automated hydroponics system, developed using AI and extensive analysis of the needs of different plant types. Inside the facility, plant trays are arranged with scientific precision tailored to the plant’s growth stages. Space, light and nutrition are optimised in a smart hydroponics system that is monitored using IoT sensors. The result: herbs like basil can be grown all year round in the best conditions and without the need for soil.
“Our plan is to sell through a wholesaler,” Fitotech CEO and founder Vadim Gabel explains. The work doesn’t just end with basil. Gabel has tested and analysed a handful of different herbs. In 2024, he reckons he can scale up the production to produce up to 2 tonnes of fresh herbs per month for the Luxembourg market.
“It’s very important to be able to deliver locally so that people can eat fresh herbs every day, and we are not dependent on seasons,” says Yukhin, adding that this is just the start of their business plan.
Hydroponic Farms As A Product
Starting in October 2025, the company plans to begin selling the smart hydroponics farms to countries in the north, the Gulf region and parts of Africa. Meanwhile, in the coming years, Fitotech will also experiment with growing other plans in its hydroponics system. “We’re collaborating with plant science professors. It will require more science to expand but we are confident that strawberries are quite good for hydroponics and there’s a high demand,” says Yukhin.
“We’re collaborating with plant science professors. It will require more science to expand but we are confident that strawberries are quite good for hydroponics and there’s a high demand”
Artem Yukhin, Fitotech co-founder
A robotics expert, Gabel is no stranger to entrepreneurship and hydroponics. The basis of Fitotech technologies was developed by Vadim’s father Boris Gabel, who is a plant and science advisor to the company. This leading scientist previously developed hydroponics systems for use at polar stations and in space.
Optimising All Resources
The two founders are aware of the challenges they face. To be able to beat importers on price, they must optimise all the resources used to grow their plants. But, they are confident about finding a market in Luxembourg.
Currently bootstrapped, Fitotech is exploring Luxembourg R&D grants and potential investments.
They are also in talks with a pharmaceutical company to provide ingredients for medicines and have been approached by players from the perfume industry.
“They need clean plants and to be able to control the plant through its life cycle and for them, it’s a challenge to be sure of the quality of the raw materials,” says Gabel.
