A Cycle of Fish Breeding and Vegetable Growing
Rethinking agriculture
Solos stands for a new dimension of food competence in South Tyrol/Südtirol. A start-up company based in Tramin/Termeno sulla Strada del Vino, Solos shows how agriculture can be advanced through systematic professionalisation—from research to successful market placement. With their aquaponics system, which combines fish breeding and vegetable growing in a closed cycle, the founders take a well-known method, perfect it, and adapt it to the local conditions. The result is a model which combines ecological responsibility, efficiency, and local value creation, providing a prime example of how the future of nutrition may be shaped.
Ecological, efficient, local: the aquaponic model
What began as an idea among friends has evolved into a growing company with a clear mission: rethinking agriculture—regenerative, soil-independent, and year-round. The team behind Solos consists of Matthäus Kircher and an interdisciplinary team of founders who established Solos Vita GmbH in 2022.
The aquaponics principle offers some very concrete advantages: up to 90% less water use compared to conventional plant growing, no chemical/synthetic aids, no land consumption. “The fish provide the fertiliser, the plants purify the water—a stable high-productivity cycle with a clear environmental footprint”, says Mr Kircher, managing director of Solos.
The lettuce is sold with the roots still attached: a distinguishing feature compared to conventional goods. Solo is currently producing several thousand heads of lettuce per week, with an area efficiency that is up to twelve times higher than its open-air counterpart. A smart energy system ensures cultivation all year round and eliminates transit.
Food competence driving nature-based agriculture
But that is just the beginning: there are plans to expand the plant even further. Concurrently, Solos is researching insect-based fish food, animal welfare in aquaponics, and energy saving. As part of the NOI Techpark, the start-up company is working with experienced partners from the fields of agriculture, trade, and research. Moreover, they are developing an innovative aquaponics system which combines aquaculture, nitrogen enrichment, and photovoltaics—a model set to complement and enhance traditional agriculture.
Solos proves that year-round regional food production can be both economical and ecological. This makes the company a prime example of the food competence of South Tyrol while at the same time proving that a new kind of agriculture is possible: a nature-based cycle.
