Cordon Technologies, a Maidenhead-based agritech startup, has secured the first close of a £1 million funding round led by British Design Fund to accelerate the development and commercial rollout of its precision spraying system for farmers and growers.
The sector faces rising input costs, increasing regulatory pressure, and a growing need to improve environmental outcomes. Conventional spraying equipment treats every part of a crop the same regardless of what it actually needs, wasting chemicals, increasing costs, and contributing to unnecessary environmental impact. Developed in response to that problem, the Loop is Cordon's dynamic mixing and precision-control system. It enables farmers to adjust the concentration of multiple treatments simultaneously and in real time, ensuring each part of a crop receives exactly what it requires. This turns spraying from a batch process into a continuously controlled one.
Founder and CEO Jamie Hutchinson spent eight years running a vineyard in South West France, where he became frustrated by the limitations of conventional spraying equipment before going on to develop the Loop. Cordon has already gained early commercial traction in the UK vineyard sector, with plans to expand into vineyards across Europe and further afield, while also adapting the technology for wider crop types including plant nurseries, vegetables, apples, and soft fruit. The investment from British Design Fund will be used to accelerate development and bring the technology to more growers.
Today's sprayers treat every part of the crop the same, regardless of what it actually needs. It's a batch system that wastes chemicals, increases costs and contributes to unnecessary environmental impact. I knew there had to be a better way. Farmers are under huge pressure to reduce chemical use without compromising yield or quality. Our mission is to give them the tools to do exactly that. The Loop makes precision spraying practical, scalable and operationally efficient and this investment from British Design Fund will allow us to accelerate development and bring the technology to more growers, more quickly.
Cordon is tackling an important operational challenge in agriculture with a well-considered technical approach. We are pleased to support the team as they continue developing their product and progressing their commercial plans.
