"Cultivating a sustainable future for a better world." This is the main objective of Groinn.io, a fast-growing Spanish company that aims to change the world of agriculture and forestry. Established in 2022, Groinn has an experienced team of IT and innovation specialists, dedicated to developing technological devices designed to enhance efficiency in these sectors. Groinn's route to success goes through Bulgaria.
Behind its dynamic development is José Ignacio Pelleteiro, a 33-year-old former Spanish professional footballer, known in his homeland as Jota. Before venturing in the agricultural business, Jota enjoyed an impressive ten-year football career, reaching the highest levels of English and Spanish men's football. Between 2019 and 2020, he played for Aston Villa in the English Premier League before retiring in 2021 as a player for La Liga's Deportivo Alavés. While he claims that playing football brought him incredible emotions and memories, Peleteiro has no regrets about changing professions. "The company's value is now ten times my initial investment. I'm already receiving offers, but I know they won't even come close to one percent of its value in three years," he recently told British media.
Groinn is certainly not the first company in the field of digital agriculture to offer smart devices that collect data on soil conditions, weather, and crops, enabling farmers to optimize their use of resources such as irrigation, fertilization, pest control, etc. However, the key advantage of Jota's company lies in its pricing - Groinn's devices are affordable and accessible to almost any farm. This allows the company to grow rapidly and expand into new markets, including the Bulgarian one, where the company has recently established a partnership with a local entity.
How did Groinn start?
One of the reasons Jota decided to retire from professional football was his ambition to challenge himself and drive change in agriculture - a sector the Spaniard considers a key pillar of the global economy. "At that moment, I felt more motivated to develop a high-potential business project than to continue playing football," he told Capital. Shortly after leaving the sport, Jota invested several million in Ramalloc Innovation, a startup he had been following for years which later became part of Groinn.
Now, two and a half years later, Groinn collaborates with dozens of organizations worldwide and recently entered into a partnership with the Spanish government - a deal expected to help the company significantly expand its operations. Moreover, Jota expects the company to reach a valuation of hundreds of millions of euros by the end of 2025, and potentially billions within the next three years, according to The Athletic, the sports website of The New York Times. Whether this will happen remains to be seen, but it certainly has great potential.
How does Groinn's software work?
Groinn's primary sensor device aims to optimize agricultural practices through the use of AI. It integrates precise sensors that monitor soil conditions and climate in real time, enabling farmers to make informed decisions. Priced at around 250 euro per unit, a single device can effectively monitor conditions over 10 decares (approximately 2.5 acres) of flat land. This makes it affordable even for smaller farming businesses. After all, sensor devices in the promising but still very undeveloped niche of digital agriculture can cost thousands of euros.
The unit is powered by a solar battery as its robust design makes it suitable for different regions. Some of the key indicators measured by Groinn's sensors include soil quality (moisture levels, pH, and nutrient content), climate conditions (temperature and light exposure), resource efficiency (use of water and fertilizers), and crop maturity. The sensors themselves are made of different types of metal and are inserted into the soil. A very light current flows through them, triggering reactions with various substances in the soil. Therefore, the measurement of specific indicators depends on how strong or weak the reaction is.
Groinn's products operate via an app, which is originally in English but can be translated into a local language in countries that purchase a large number of devices. Each user can create an individual account to manage and control connected devices. Data from the device is transmitted via IoT technology to phones, tablets, laptops, or other devices running the app, allowing for real-time monitoring, data analysis, and archiving. "In terms of technology, there are no competing devices that come close to ours, as Groinn provides users with the most comprehensive dataset at the most affordable price possible," Peletiero told Capital weekly.
Rapid Expansion
"We are trying to expand our operations in countries where agriculture is well-developed, as Groinn wants to be part of improving agricultural production," shares Jota. Currently, the company has offices in countries such as Spain, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Congo, and Panama, and is on its way to offering services in Bulgaria as well.
The company recently started a partnership with the Spanish government which is expected to significantly boost its valuation. The Spanish government plans to invest in the technology and make it available to local farmers, aiming for every farmer to have access to the software by 2030. According to Jota, this is only the beginning of finalizing similar deals with other regions. His goal is to deliver Groinn's software to every European country by the end of 2026. For now, the Spaniard remains pleased with his work with clients from the private European sector, as there are plenty of specialists with an "excellent" understanding of soil management.
Groinn entering the Bulgarian market
Recently, Jota and his team have started a cooperation with Smart Tierra, a company registered on the local market to distribute the product in Bulgaria. The process of Groinn's entry in Bulgaria is led by Vladislav Petkov, who is also part of Smart Tierra's team. In January 2024, he recognized the potential of Groinn and was the first to establish contact with Jota's representatives.
Maintaining a strong relationship with lots of local farmers, Petkov believes that Groinn's technology would be extremely useful in areas such as viticulture and the production of fruits and vegetables. For this reason, Smart Tierra is now working together with the Bulgarian Farmers Union to popularize the product on the domestic market.
The pilot devices arrived in Bulgaria in September and have already been distributed to farmers for testing, allowing producers to see how effective they are firsthand. "Bulgarian farmers are a bit more conservative towards new technologies, but many of our customers are willing to rely on innovative solutions to improve production," the Smart Tierra team told Capital weekly.
"Cultivating a sustainable future for a better world." This is the main objective of Groinn.io, a fast-growing Spanish company that aims to change the world of agriculture and forestry. Established in 2022, Groinn has an experienced team of IT and innovation specialists, dedicated to developing technological devices designed to enhance efficiency in these sectors. Groinn's route to success goes through Bulgaria.
Behind its dynamic development is José Ignacio Pelleteiro, a 33-year-old former Spanish professional footballer, known in his homeland as Jota. Before venturing in the agricultural business, Jota enjoyed an impressive ten-year football career, reaching the highest levels of English and Spanish men's football. Between 2019 and 2020, he played for Aston Villa in the English Premier League before retiring in 2021 as a player for La Liga's Deportivo Alavés. While he claims that playing football brought him incredible emotions and memories, Peleteiro has no regrets about changing professions. "The company's value is now ten times my initial investment. I'm already receiving offers, but I know they won't even come close to one percent of its value in three years," he recently told British media.
