Chipotle Mexican Grill is investing in Greenfield Robotics, which leverages AI, robotics, and sensing technologies in regenerative farming, as well as fertilizer company Nitricity.
The investments come from Chipotle's $50 million Cultivate Next venture fund, which aims to make early-stage investments into strategically aligned companies that match up with the company’s growth plans and environmental goals.
The investments come after Chipotle announced its new sustainability campaign earlier this year, including a new all-electric restaurant design powered by 100% renewable energy.
Greenfield Robotics provides regenerative agriculture solutions without chemicals, using fleets of autonomous robots to cut weeds between rows of broadbare crops. This reduces the need for herbicides and supports regenerative farming practices, as well as reduces risks for farmers. With investment from Chipotle, Greenfield will continue to build out its fleet of autonomous agricultural robots and develop robot capabilities, including micro-spraying, cover crop planting, and soil testing.
"The work of Greenfield Robotics to build out a tech-forward alternative to herbicides plays an important role in ensuring a more sustainable future for the agricultural industry," Curt Garner, chief customer and technology officer at Chipotle, said in a statement "We will help Greenfield Robotics scale their robotic offerings and explore how their robots can be deployed on farms within our supply chain."
Nitricity bills itself as a new-age fertilizer company, using the power of lightning to break down nitrogen in the air and rainwater and bringing it into the soil as nitrate to create a natural fertilizer. The company uses artificial lightning in its method, creating a cleaner, more sustainable, and cost-efficient fertilizer.
"Nitricity is committed to producing fertilizer that is optimized for farmers, not factory production or freight distribution," Nico Pinkowski, co-founder and CEO of Nitricity, said in a statement. "Partnering with Chipotle will unquestionably accelerate our path toward disrupting the industry with climate-smart technology."
The company’s methods replace other more traditional fertilizer methods, including using large amounts of fossil fuels. This Haber-Bosch fertilizer method contributes between 5% and 7% of total greenhouse gas emissions. By comparison, Nitricity’s nitrogen fertilizer produces 5 to 10 times less GHG emissions through its electrified production and field application process.
In addition, Nitricity aims to reduce emissions in the fertilizer space by cutting back on the costly supply chain -- up to 20% of fertilizer in the United States is imported through a costly and complex supply chain, the company said.
The funding from Chipotle’s Cultivate Next fund will be used to scale up Nitricity's nitrogen production, build infrastructure, and support the launch of its commercial product in the next two years.
