Little Leaf Farms, a packaged lettuce brand sustainably grown through controlled environment agriculture (CEA), announced it will open a new state-of-the-art greenhouse in McAdoo, Pennsylvania this fall. This will be the fifth greenhouse for Little Leaf Farms, and the brand's second greenhouse in Pennsylvania. With the expanded capacity of 10 additional acres of indoor production of fresh, sustainably grown lettuce, Little Leaf Farms will increase its retail presence to nearly 5,000 grocery stores, making its fresh greens available at most major retailers from the Midwest to the Southeast.
The expansion news was shared at a ceremony the brand hosted on May 31, welcoming Gov. Josh Shapiro and other state representatives to celebrate Little Leaf Farms' growth in Pennsylvania. Little Leaf Farms owns 180 acres in McAdoo and has rapidly grown to be the largest producer of indoor-grown leafy greens in the state. The company opened its first 10-acre greenhouse in July of 2022 and expects to employ over 170 by the end of 2023.
"We believe in the CEA industry's role in the path to more sustainable produce production and are focused on our mission of delivering fresh and delicious leafy greens to consumers," said Paul Sellew, founder and CEO of Little Leaf Farms. "We continue to build on our ambitious plans for growth and our expansion in Pennsylvania is a testament to how we've been able to continuously scale our efficient production and operations. We're thrilled to have increased our retail sales by more than 50% in the past year and to be the No. 1 brand of packaged lettuce sustainably grown through CEA in the country."
These 10 additional acres under glass represent a significant capacity increase, enabling Little Leaf Farms to harvest more than 20 million pounds of leafy greens yearly across its sites. The new greenhouse will employ Little Leaf Farms' state-of-the-art technology and efficiencies, including advanced heating, cooling and lighting systems, as well as utilize the natural power of the sun and fresh rainwater. The greenhouse will also integrate the brand's hands-free automated grow system, which means the leafy greens are untouched from seed to packaging and never require washing. Little Leaf Farms' lettuce is farmed 365 days a year, harvested daily and delivered from greenhouse to grocery store in 24 hours.
About Little Leaf Farms
Little Leaf Farms is on a mission to transform the way food is grown through peri-urban agricultural practices that are rebuilt for the modern world. Using advanced greenhouse technologies, Little Leaf Farms is growing fresh, sustainably farmed lettuce 365 days a year. Little Leaf Farms utilizes captured rainwater, natural sunlight that shines through high transmission glass, and solar-powered energy in their precise, soil-less hydroponic farming. The crispy, flavorful baby greens are harvested without ever touching human hands and are never
