The Idea
What it's about
In Germany, more than 50% of vegetable crops are still harvested by hand, with labor costs soon exceeding 80% and a 30% decline in seasonal workers since 2007. Prefiro addresses this challenge with an AI-powered, modular harvesting solution for the selective and precise harvesting of green asparagus. Our technology combines proprietary precision robotics with a patent-pending cutting head that harvests only ripe plants — quickly, gently, and cost-efficiently. Designed as an attachment, our solution integrates seamlessly into existing infrastructure and workflows. Our goal is to offer farms, for the first time, a viable alternative to manual harvesting in these specialty crops, helping to improve long-term planning reliability and preserve regional competitiveness.
The team
Who is behind it
Prefiro was founded by Frieder Matter (mechanical engineer and farmer) and Lorenzo Di Leo (industrial engineer) as a spin-off from KIT and the University of Hohenheim. Originally focused on automating saffron harvesting, the team shifted its focus to the selective harvesting of green asparagus during the support phase of the EXIST and Junge Innovatoren funding programs. Today, Prefiro is an interdisciplinary team of computer scientists, mechatronics engineers, mechanical engineers, and industrial engineers, united by a shared passion for agriculture and technological innovation.
