Indoor-grown leafy greens brand surpasses traditional field-grown brands

Two milestones for Little Leaf Farms this week. The company announced to be the #1 best-selling packaged lettuce in New England1, and is expanding their offerings with new salad kits.

According to the most recent Nielsen data available in the category, the brand has seen a 46% increase in total dollar sales year over year and is now capturing 20% of all packaged lettuce sales in the region, inclusive of field-grown greens. And, as said, there is more to come: the company launched new salad kits as well, now available in Crispy Caesar and Southwest varieties. Featuring Little Leaf Farms' fan-favorite Baby Crispy Green Leaf lettuce grown in the company's state-of-the-art greenhouses, the kits are paired with all the ingredients needed for a flavor-packed meal perfect for at-home or on the go and were crafted in effort to meet consumer desire for higher quality, fresher and better tasting greens in salad kit offerings.

"The New England packaged salad category is highly competitive, so we're pleased with this latest sales achievement," said Paul Sellew, Founder and CEO of Little Leaf Farms. "As we continue to work towards our goal of 100 acres under glass by 2026 its clear that our model of fresh, local, greenhouse-grown lettuce is resonating with consumers, and we look forward to replicating this success in additional markets in the months to come."

Building on the growth in New England, Little Leaf Farms recently opened its newest greenhouse in McAdoo, Pennsylvania. This is the fifth greenhouse for Little Leaf Farms, and the brand's second greenhouse in Pennsylvania and will increase its retail presence to nearly 5,000 grocery stores, expanding Little Leaf Farms' footprint to include retailers in the Midwest and Southeast. One of the first products to be grown and packed at the newest PA greenhouse is Sweet Baby Butter Leaf, which will be introduced in a new 8 oz. size this fall.

Little Leaf Farms also recently broke ground on a third greenhouse on the McAdoo site in August, with a planned opening in the second half of 2024. The third greenhouse is projected to be operating at capacity by the close of 2024, bringing the total active acreage of Little Leaf Farms' Pennsylvania site to 30 acres by the end of next year.

"We are excited to bring our exceptional lettuce to even more consumers with our expansion in Pennsylvania," said Chris Hill, Chief Revenue Officer at Little Leaf Farms. "We believe that we are creating a better eating experience and that our industry leading freshness and quality, along with our ability to engage with new consumers, will continue to drive exciting growth for our customers as we enter new markets."

Regarding the Little Leaf Farms' Salad Kits, which are now available in Crispy Caesar and Southwest varieties, Lindsay Hardie, Vice President of Marketing at Little Leaf Farms, said Little Leaf Farms fans have been asking for these kits. "And we're excited to bring them to shelf this fall. Since our founding we've been dedicated to bringing a better, fresher lettuce to market and we're thrilled to bring that same innovative spirit to the kits category. Our kits are packed and delivered from greenhouse to grocery store in about 24 hours, providing consumers with a new always-fresh, convenient and delicious option."

Little Leaf Farms' salad kits feature greens that are free of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, and are hands free from seeing to harvesting to packaging. The salad kits are available in the following varieties:

• Crispy Caesar: Packed with Little Leaf Farms Baby Crispy Green Leaf, Garlic Croutons, Shredded Parmesan Cheese and Romano Caesar Dressing.
• Southwest: Little Leaf Farms' Baby Crispy Green Leaf is paired with Chili-Lime Tortilla Strips, Corn, Mexican Style Cheese Blend and Avocado Ranch Dressing.

Little Leaf Farms' salad kits are available in 7.5 oz. packages with an MSRP of $5.49 and are currently rolling out at select retailers throughout the Northeast, with additional distribution planned in early 2024.