What’s Next for Berry Crops Grown Under Protective Cover?

Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) has made significant progress in producing strawberries commercially, but the industry is still trying to work out which berry crops might follow. Researchers and operators say the answer will depend on disciplined crop development, realistic economics, and systems designed around the biological needs of the plant.

That message emerged during a session titled “Beyond Strawberries: What Berry Is Next for CEA?” at Indoor Ag-Con, presented by Olivier Paulus, CEO and founder of Vertiberry; Paul Gauthier, Professor at Penn State University; and Eric Gerbrandt, Chief Science Officer at BeriTech.

Lessons from the CEA Strawberry Boom

Panelists emphasized that the rapid expansion of CEA strawberries over the past decade offers both valuable experience and cautionary lessons. While the crop has proven technically feasible in greenhouses and indoor systems, many early ventures struggled after scaling too soon.

Echoing lessons learned across the CEA sector over the past few years, the speakers noted that future berry crops — including raspberries, blueberries, and other high-value varieties — will require a more measured development pathway. Pilot production, data collection, and incremental scaling were all stressed as important steps before committing to large commercial facilities.

Growers must also evaluate potential crops against realistic market pricing rather than assuming sustained premium prices. If a production system cannot operate competitively at current market conditions, they said, it’s unlikely to become viable at scale.

Plant-Centric Systems and Genetics Will Drive Progress

Another key takeaway was the importance of designing systems around the crop itself. Rather than forcing plants into existing technology platforms, successful berry production will depend on tailoring systems to the biological characteristics of each crop.

Genetics will play a major role. Breeding programs aimed at controlled environments could produce berry varieties with traits such as smaller plant architecture, improved yield under artificial lighting, or characteristics that reduce labor needs.

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This last factor remains a major operational consideration, particularly for delicate crops like berries that still rely heavily on manual harvesting. Automation and sensor systems may improve efficiency, but panelists said the industry should expect improvements to be gradual.

So what’s next in berries? It remains to be seen, the panelists acknowledged, with the answer dependent on a collaborative effort between growers, researchers, breeders, and technology providers.

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