Caragen, a start-up company that makes microbes that boost greenhouse yields of fruits and vegetables by about 10 per cent, has raised $2 million in venture funding.
The company works within the Waterloo Accelerator Centre.
This money will enable the company to expand its marketing into Mexico and the Netherlands.
The microbes are in soils but need to be added to hydroponic-farming solutions to achieve better results.
Danielle Rose, chief executive officer for Caragen, said greenhouse production is becoming more important as field production becomes less reliable and because it produces about 10 times as much per square foot and uses 95 per cent less water.
Caragen research aims to identify microbes that can thrive in hydroponic solutions and to match ones to the plant species being grown.
