This facility, completed in 2016, produces over 15,000 tonnes of truss tomatoes

(on the vine) each year to supply the Australian supermarket operator Coles under a ten-year contract



Dec 31, 2025 

In this video, we break down the engineering marvel of Sundrop Farms in Port Augusta, Australia. This isn't just a farm; it’s a $200 million thermodynamic machine. By combining Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) with thermal desalination, engineers have achieved the impossible: converting saltwater from the Spencer Gulf into a high-yield tomato empire, entirely off the freshwater grid.

We analyze the physics behind the 127-meter solar tower, the economics of their 10-year contract with Coles, and why this "Seawater Greenhouse" model might be the only way to feed the world as aquifers run dry.
Is the $200 million price tag worth the water security, or is this technology too expensive for the rest of the world?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gn_7U8PaYA

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundrop_Farms

Sundrop Farms is a developer, owner and operator of high tech greenhouse facilities which grow crops using methods which reduce reliance on finite natural resources when compared to conventional greenhouse production.[1] Sundrop Farms opened its first pilot facility in Port Augusta, South Australia, in 2010 (operating as Seawater Greenhouse Australia Pty Ltd). This facility was originally designed as a Seawater Greenhouse. However, significant technology changes led to the Sundrop System, and the dissolution of the joint venture with Seawater Greenhouse Ltd.[2] Sundrop Farms commissioned an expanded 20 ha facility south of Port Augusta in 2016. Sundrop Farms has offices in London, UK and Adelaide, Australia. In October 2016, Sundrop Farms was operating greenhouses in Portugal, the United States and had another facility planned in Australia.[3]

Sundrop system
The primary inputs to a greenhouse are heat, electricity, water, and nutrients. The Sundrop System is a collection of technologies which, when used in combination, reduce the need for finite resources in these inputs versus conventional greenhouse production. In Sundrop Farms’ first facilities in South Australia, these technologies include concentrated solar power, thermal desalination, and steam-driven electricity generation.[4] This is the first combined heat, power, and water system powered by solar energy for greenhouse production.

https://insidefmcg.com.au/2025/08/04/coles-tomato-supplier-headed-for-sale-as-turnover-tops-300-million/

Aug. 4th  2025.


Sundrop, a South Australia-based grower of greenhouse tomatoes that supplies to Coles, has been put up for auction amid soaring sales.

The company has hired corporate adviser Kidder Williams to assist in the search for potential bidders, the Australian Financial Review reported, adding that the deal could attract buyers such as Costa Group, Flavorite, Perfection Fresh and Clean Energy Finance Corporation.

Founded in 2009, Sundrop Farms uses solar energy and desalinated water to grow 10,000 tonnes of tomatoes a year. It boasts four glasshouses spanning five hectares each.

The business currently supplies truss, grape, cherry and heirloom tomatoes to Coles as part of a 10-year, recently re-signed agreement.

In a flyer sent to investors, Sundrop expects a revenue of $58.1 million in FY25 amid a compounded annual growth rate of 11 per cent over the past three years. This equates to $307 normalised revenue per square metre of land, the flyer highlights.

The company’s assets last traded for $70 million in 2022, when Morrison sold the properties to an unlisted agricultural fund run by Centuria Capital. Its operations were acquired by management as part of that deal.

Growing veggies in near zero gravity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gheM670jxzQ