Our location
The production of our microalgae takes place in the south of Morocco. This is where our production team lives and works, taking advantage of the natural geographical advantages of this region for algae cultivation.
The location
To grow microalgae efficiently, favorable weather conditions help. These include:
- Constant, warm temperatures
- Access to salt water
- Frequent and constant sunlight
- Open land that is not used for agricultural crops
A glance at the globe shows that the deserts near the sea around the tropics (approx. 23 degrees latitude) are particularly well suited. Easily accessible by land via Spain is Morocco, whose southern city of Dakhla is located on a peninsula and, in addition to tourism and fishing, is already home to various aquaculture operations.
Our team on site
As in any company, cooperation between the different divisions is extremely important in algae farming. Part of our team deals with the physical and technical infrastructure, i.e. the construction and maintenance of facilities and tanks. The cultivation of algae, their quality and growth are monitored by the laboratory staff. Harvesting, drying and, above all, optimization of all process steps are usually carried out jointly by the team.
In Morocco, we rely on local employees who are well trained, as well as on technical experts and companies. Our declared goal is to staff about half of our team with women.
Our team on site
As in any company, cooperation between the different divisions is extremely important in algae farming. Part of our team deals with the physical and technical infrastructure, i.e. the construction and maintenance of facilities and tanks. The cultivation of algae, their quality and growth are monitored by the laboratory staff. Harvesting, drying and, above all, optimization of all process steps are usually carried out jointly by the team.
In Morocco, we rely on local employees who are well trained, as well as on technical experts and companies. Our declared goal is to staff about half of our team with women.
Our pilot plant
Our pilot plant covers an area of about 10,000 square meters and is divided into 7 open basins of different shapes. Here we optimize the production of various algae, in particular the cultivation of the microalgae Dunaliella Salina, which has a high beta-carotene content.
We also have an innovation area, where we mainly promote the cultivation of microalgae rich in omega-3 and proteins.
We have explained more about our pilot plant in a news article.
Sahara means off-grid
Our algae production is not connected to the power grid, so we are “off-grid”. This means that all appliances are powered by electricity produced on-site. Solar panels help Viride make a virtue out of necessity. Instead of using fossil fuel energy and diesel generators, we rely on solar power. With over 3,500 hours of sunshine a year, this is not only an inexpensive form of power generation in the long run, but also a very sustainable one.
We benefit from the fact that most of the machines only need to be operated during the day. This is because algae perform photosynthesis and do not need to be moved and processed at night. The solar plants are financed by our crowdfunding community, which makes an enormous contribution to a successful and sustainable algae production.
Sahara means off-grid
Our algae production is not connected to the power grid, so we are “off-grid”. This means that all appliances are powered by electricity produced on-site. Solar panels help Viride make a virtue out of necessity. Instead of using fossil fuel energy and diesel generators, we rely on solar power. With over 3,500 hours of sunshine a year, this is not only an inexpensive form of power generation in the long run, but also a very sustainable one.
We benefit from the fact that most of the machines only need to be operated during the day. This is because algae perform photosynthesis and do not need to be moved and processed at night. The solar plants are financed by our crowdfunding community, which makes an enormous contribution to a successful and sustainable algae production.
And what’s happening in Germany
Viride relies on a highly vertical integration at our local sites. Only the processed products, mostly dried algae powder, algae oils or proteins, are imported into the EU by land or sea. Thus, we avoid the transport of wet biomass as much as possible.
The German company Viride GmbH mainly takes over the tasks of distribution, import as well as financing. All investments go through the German parent company, and all contracting and agreements take place according to German law.
