Rami Levy and 14th Channel owners in dispute over millions: Vertical Field faces liquidation

The Israeli agro-tech company Vertical Field has fallen into a severe crisis after 11 former employees filed a petition with the District Court in Lod to open insolvency proceedings and subsequently liquidate the company. According to their claims, operations were halted in January, the company's coffers are empty, and it owes them approximately 770,000 shekels in unpaid wages, pension contributions, advanced study fund contributions, and severance pay.

Vertical Field, founded in 2009 and operating from Ra'anana, specialized in developing technologies for growing plants in controlled environments and green wall systems. The company is controlled by Beer Yitzhak Energy, which is owned by the Mirilashvili family, one of the owners of the 14th Channel.

According to a report in TheMarker, the petition filed by the employees states that in addition to the debts owed to them, the company has accumulated over 1.5 million shekels in debt to suppliers. Simultaneously, a significant lawsuit is being conducted against the firm by the Rami Levy chain.

The root of the dispute lies in an agreement signed in 2022, under which the Rami Levy chain granted Vertical Field a 1.5 million dollar loan as part of a strategic partnership. After the funds were not repaid, Rami Levy filed a lawsuit in September 2025 for 6.95 million shekels. As part of the dispute, the chain claimed it entered the agreement based on a commitment by the controlling shareholder to support the company and its debts.

Parallel to the struggle over loan repayment, Beer Yitzhak Energy applied to the court to initiate insolvency proceedings against Vertical Field, claiming a debt of 73.6 million shekels in owner loans. Rami Levy and Meshek Shamir opposed the move. Rami Levy argued that the insolvency process could be used as a tactic to avoid the pending financial lawsuit, and in July, the court rejected the controlling shareholder's request.

Now, the liquidation request comes from the former employees, who claim the company encountered cash flow difficulties as early as October 2025 and failed to transfer funds deducted from their salaries and employer pension contributions for months. According to them, warning letters sent in late July did not lead to payment or a response. The employees argue that liquidation is the only way to realize their rights and receive owed funds through the National Insurance Institute.

Alongside the liquidation request, the dispute between Rami Levy and the company's owners continues in the civil sphere. Vertical Field previously claimed that under the loan agreement, the amount was to convert into company shares upon maturity, making Rami Levy a shareholder rather than a creditor. Conversely, Rami Levy disputes this and demands the return of the funds. The parties previously stated that the dispute was headed toward a mediation process.