May 24, 2018
Little Leaf Farms opens expanded hydroponic greenhouse

Little Leaf Farms, a large growers of hydroponic baby greens, recently opened an expanded greenhouse in Devens, Massachusetts.

Photos: Little Leaf Farms

The expansion doubles the size of the greenhouse from 2.5 acres to 5 acres, and more than doubles its annual production of baby greens. Little Leaf Farms also announced it has purchased adjacent land for a third expansion project set to begin in 2019, which will further increase the size of the greenhouse to approximately 10 acres.

Opened in 2016, Little Leaf Farms produces locally grown, fresh baby greens year-round that are delivered to New England consumers within hours of being harvested. Little Leaf Farms grows multiple varieties of baby lettuce at its greenhouse that are blended into salad mixes and sold in more than 1,000 Northeast grocery stores and to many restaurant, University and institutional customers. Little Leaf Farms’ ability to deliver fresh, great tasting and safe baby greens to consumers that can be easily traced back to its Massachusetts greenhouse has led to the company’s rapid growth and expansion.

“We incorporate principles of sustainability in everything we do, all to provide consumers with delicious, local baby greens at a fair price,” said Paul Sellew, CEO and founder of Little Leaf Farms. “Our process is clean from the start, so consumers can be confident they’re purchasing a safe product, grown in an environment that employs the most advanced food safety practices.”

Little Leaf Farms’ hydroponic growing process uses mineral nutrient solutions in water without soil. It uses natural sunlight, a computer-controlled growing environment and a rainwater-based irrigation system that uses 90 percent less water than field-grown lettuce companies. Little Leaf Farms’ technologically-advanced growing system enables the baby greens to be seeded, grown, cut and packaged without ever being touched by human hands. The production system is free from chemical pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, ensuring that what customers purchase is safe.

“More than 98 percent of the lettuce we eat in this country is grown on the West Coast and shipped for days, which means customers in New England are not receiving the highest quality or freshest product,” said Andrew W. Kendall, executive director of the Henry P. Kendall Foundation, an organization focused on creating a resilient and healthy food system in New England. “Little Leaf Farms has cracked the code on providing the region with fresh baby greens within hours of being harvested.”




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