Airponix is a UK-based agricultural technology company that provides a patented fog-based aeroponic growing system for seed potato production. The company's technology uses ultra-fine droplets to nourish plant roots, enabling high-density vertical farming with 95% less water and a fraction of the land compared to traditional agriculture. Airponix partners with international growers and offers consultancy services to design and build customised systems tailored to local conditions. The company sits at the intersection of seed potato production, smart farming, and sustainable agriculture technology.
Airponix was founded by Michael Ruggier, formerly of Shell International where he led the Shell "GameChanger" innovation programme. Over the past six years, the company has refined its crop-growing technologies in Norwich, UK, with additional research and trials conducted in Reading, Scotland, and Cambridge, including a one-year trial with PepsiCo. Internationally, Airponix completed a three-year commercial partnership with Kisima in Kenya and successfully commissioned a large-scale production facility in Saudi Arabia capable of producing 600,000 mini tubers annually. The company has also launched a project with Dyson Farming supported by Innovate UK funding, and is progressing a commercial facility in Australia. Airponix was named a winner of Fast Company's 2025 World Changing Ideas Awards.
Products offered:
- Fog-based aeroponic growing system (patented A-frame design)
- Seed potato mini tuber production
- Consultancy and system design services for growers
- Partnership programmes for international seed potato optimisation
- IoT-enabled monitoring platform with real-time sensor data, trends and automated alerts
Airponix operates from its headquarters in Histon, Cambridge, United Kingdom, with international deployments in Kenya, Saudi Arabia, and Australia. The company is supported by Innovate UK, Centrica, and other innovation partners including NIAB and the James Hutton Institute.
