It all began during a Christmas dinner in 2019, when Matthäus Kircher and his three brothers-in-law started discussing the rainbow trout they were eating. They talked about the problems of conventional fishing and local fish farming, such as wastewater flowing unhindered into streams and rivers. How could they offer good, locally farmed fish without polluting the environment unnecessarily? It was then that the idea of using aquaponics first arose. 

Aqua... what? “Aquaponics combines fish farming and plant cultivation in a closed-loop system. The water from the fish farming is treated using bio-filters and then reused to provide nutrients for the plants. The plants then clean the water so that it can flow back into the fish farm again,” Kircher explains. The fish live in a tank, and lettuce and other plants grow directly in the water next to it in the greenhouse. The whole system is connected and balanced in a closed circuit. Advantages of this system include soil protection, since the plants grow in naturally filtered, reused water, and the possibility of pesticide-free farming all year round. Furthermore, once the lettuce has been picked, it stays fresh and crisp for many days. The four men decided to develop the idea. After extensive research, countless discussions, negotiations and calculations, they set up their start-up, Solos, bringing in two investors and opening their first prototype facility. 

They now run two 200 m² facilities in Termeno, one for development and one for actual production. Currently, they harvest 1,100 heads of lettuce a week. While they have only produced lettuce so far, they are already planning to extend this to spices and other vegetables. 

“In future we’d like to close the loop further. We would like to produce our own fish feed, using apple waste for insects, which in turn we can use as fish food,” states Kircher, already thinking about the future. After all, the one thing the Solos team is certain about is that our eating habits, farming and animal husbandry need to change if we want to leave our children and grandchildren a healthy planet. With its freshly caught lettuce, Solos is taking a unique step in this direction at NOI Techpark.